


Forever Bound

by Pinecone06



Series: Heart Bound [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Attraction, Awkward Sexual Situations, F/M, Fluff, Inspired by Fanfiction, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, Reader-Insert, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, True Love, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2020-04-11 20:13:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 49,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19116898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinecone06/pseuds/Pinecone06
Summary: A new darkness is spreading throughout the various worlds, and Master Yen Sid has asked his old friend Master Eraqus to send his apprentice, Terra, to investigate. He will work alongside Master Yen Sid's magic apprentice to find the source of the growing darkness and gather as much information about it. But as it usually goes, other motives and feelings get in the way.Pre-Birth By Sleep and will lead into BBS plot and further KH games





	1. A Message

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that's been running around in my head for a while now, so i finally decided to put it down in words! I have most of the plot worked out in my head, starting pre-Birth by Sleep and ending at the end of KH3. I am terrible at finishing works though, so any sort of ideas and encouragement is greatly appreciated :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated 11/12/2019

The throne room in the Land of Departure was a beautiful hall, lined with tall stain glass windows, so when the sun reached its highest peak, the room would be washed with bright and calming colours to help relax and mesmerise its inhabitants. Most days the throne room sat empty, the inhabitants of the castle choosing to spend their time outside training, or in the more communal areas like the kitchen and dining hall.

Today however, Master Eraqus found himself stood at the back of the throne room, rather than in the training grounds watching his apprentice’s morning practice, because of a message he had received from his old friend, Master Yen Sid. From where he stood, Eraqus was almost invisible, his body hidden behind the centre most throne, talking quietly to a glowing panel in the wall.

“-Yes, my friend I understand, I will inform Terra and have him begin preparations tonight so that he can be with you first thing tomorrow morning.” Master Eraqus gave a weary sigh to the holographic projection of his old friend, that was being projected onto the castle wall. “I agree, I believe this will be good for him and your pupil, if you are correct. They can learn a great deal from each other over the course of their journey. How long should I expect Terra to be gone for?”

Master Yen Sid gave a slight chuckle, “Not long friend, I simply wish for the two of them to gather some information about a new potential threat I have felt stirring in various worlds. I am not entirely sure what it is though. It could be nothing, but I would rather be certain.”

Eraqus gave a knowing nod, very aware of the threat that darkness can pose. “Do you know anything about this new threat?”

Yen Sid gave an equally weary sigh, “No, all I can discern is that they are beings of pure darkness, so much so that I have felt them through the various worlds, but have not yet heard of any activity or trouble which could give me more information. Eraqus, I know I am asking a lot of you, but you understand why I am apprehensive to send her out on her own so soon don’t you?”

“Think nothing of it, it is a wise decision to send them together, and perhaps afterwards you could lend me your pupil to help teach my apprentices a trick or too? If the stories you told me about her are true.” Eraqus gave a short laugh, which echoed and rang throughout the empty throne room.

“I see no problem with that, I imagine she too could learn something from your apprentices. It sounds as if Terra is a resolute young man with great resolve and impressive self-discipline. I only wish she shared those same traits; I fear that my lessons are getting through to her less and less these days as her power grows.” Yen Sid once again sighed as his shoulder dropped slightly, no doubt thinking of his young pupil who should be practicing at this time in the towers training room.

“She will be fine old friend, with you as her teacher, she is in good hands” Eraqus gave a reassuring smile, whilst thinking of his own apprentices and the individual challenges that he has faced whilst training them over the years.

“Thank you Eraqus, I look forward to Terra’s arrival on the morrow. I will keep you updated on their progress.” Yen Sid said, giving a small smile to one of his oldest friends.

“Of course, we shall speak soon” Eraqus replied, before giving an equally small smile, a curt nod and cutting off the connection between the Land of Departure and the Mysterious Tower.

Letting out a small breath of air through his nose, Eraqus thought on what Yen Sid had just told him. If he sensed a growing dark presence in various worlds, it no doubt meant that trouble was soon to follow. But Eraqus had complete faith in his friend, and his apprentice.

With that, Master Eraqus turned and began making his way out of the throne room, down the stairs and out into the courtyard, where his three apprentices were no doubt conducting their morning training. Although they each had their own styles of learning, his pupils had become like a family over the years and enjoyed spending their training sessions together.

As Eraqus opened the doors out to the training grounds, he was met with the distinct sound of metal clashing with metal, and the occasional whoosh of a magic spell being cast. Before he even set eyes on his apprentices, he knew that Terra and Ventus would be sparring together, no doubt exchanging quick verbal jabs at the other, while Aqua practiced her magic on the practise targets not too far away.

Despite Terra being the oldest, Aqua did have a habit of mothering the two other apprentices, to the point of annoyance on Terra and Ventus’ part. This usually meant her breaking up a sparring match between the two whenever she thought it was getting too rough or there was a risk of more than a few scrapes or bruises.

As he had predicted, his pupils were exactly where he thought they would be, even down to Aqua shooting the occasional glance over at Terra and Ventus to make sure they weren’t at risk of hurting each other.

Giving a short chuckle at their predictability, Eraqus began to descend the stairs, leading him into the centre of the training grounds where Terra was trying to land a hit on Ventus who was dodging all the oncoming keyblade swings. Both of them were completely oblivious to their Master watching them.

“Come on Ven, you getting tired?” Terra taunted, a wide smile on his face as he swung his Keyblade at Ven, the two clashing together. Ven gave a little huff, straining against the locked Keyblades, but unable to break away from Terra’s strength.

“No, you’re getting slower!” Ven jabbed back, sliding quickly underneath Terra’s swinging Keyblade and positioning himself behind Terra, panting slightly, the morning training already taking a toll on his stamina.

Taking a moment to admire his pupils sparring match, Eraqus took a step forward and cleared his throat, bring the attention to him. Aqua lowered her Keyblade and began to walk over, ignoring the target that was still on fire from her spell, whilst Terra and Ven put down their Keyblades.

“You all seem to be making good progress this morning my pupils. But I must pull one of you away.” Eraqus turned his attention to Terra, who was in the process of patting his face and neck with his towel. “Terra, a moment?” Master Eraqus asked, looking him directly in the eye.

Terra, although out of breath gave a big smile before replying, “of course, Master!” and put down his towel next to the others.

Giving a small nod to Terra, Eraqus then turned his attention to his other two apprentices. “Aqua, Ven, please continue.” He began to turn away before pausing and looking back. “Aqua, help coach Ventus on his magic for the rest of morning training, he has been falling behind recently.”

Aqua gave a small laugh, lifting a hand to cover her smile, and nodded her head, “of course Master, leave it to me.” Before taking Ventus by the shoulder and guiding him away from Eraqus and Terra and back towards the singed targets. Ventus tried to splutter out a few words before letting out an indignant huff as Aqua dragged him away.

Terra and Eraqus both gave a little chuckle watching Ventus as he sulked off, both keenly aware of Ventus’ preference to sparring and physical training over magic practice.

Master Eraqus turned, giving his undivided attention to Terra, “Come, we shall speak somewhere more private.” He said, turning his back and making his way back up the stairs and into the castle, with Terra not too far behind.

“Is everything alright Master?” Terra asked, picking up his pace so he could walk beside Eraqus. To call on one apprentice and ask for a private chat was unusual for him, as most information was given freely to all Master Eraqus’ pupils.

“Yes Terra, everything is fine, I simply wish to discuss a very important task with you.” Eraqus replied, not meeting Terra’s questioning gaze. The two came to a stop after walking down a few corridors, outside of a rather unassuming door. “We shall speak further in here.”

Turning the handle and ushering Terra inside, Master Eraqus closed the door and took a seat at a small desk towards the back of the room, watching Terra as he took in his Master’s private study. The walls were lined with bookshelves and filled to the brim with both old and new books, most of which looked to be about the Keyblade and its history, while others were in a language that Terra couldn’t read. The room was light and airy, aided by the large circular window placed behind his Master’s head on the back wall of his study.

Quickly jolting as he met his Masters look of amusement, Terra gave a sheepish smile whilst moving to take a seat in one of the chairs placed in front of the wooden desk covered in various scrolls and quills. “Forgive me Master, I’ve never seen the inside of your study even after all these years as your apprentice,” Terra let out a small chuckle before continuing, “and I was curious.”

“No need to apologise Terra, but we must move onto the reason I brought you here.” Master Eraqus assured with a gentle wave of his hand, as if batting off Terra’s apology. “Do you remember a Master named Yen Sid?” Eraqus questioned, leaning forward in his chair slightly to place his elbows on his desk.

“Yes Master, he was your friend many years ago, but from what I can remember, you told us he gave up the mantle of Master and no longer trains Keyblade wielders?” Terra questioned, still not quite sure why they were discussing an old former Master.

“Yes, you are correct. Master Yen Sid no longer takes on Keyblade apprentices but has chosen in recent years to take on a magic apprentice. But that is not important at the moment. Last night I received a message from my old friend about a growing darkness in multiple worlds. You see, Yen Sid is keenly tuned into the balance of the worlds, whether that’s the magical balance or the balance between light and darkness.”

Terra gave a small nod, leaning forward in his seat, completely entranced with this new knowledge he was learning, wondering how one man could be so in tune with the wider worlds that he could sense the beginnings of darkness itself growing.

Master Eraqus continued, “I spoke with him this morning, and he spoke of a disturbance in the balance of light and darkness. He fears that a darkness is growing in worlds across the universe and asked for my help in gathering information about this new potential threat.”

“I recommended you for this task Terra, as I believe that this would be a good opportunity for you to test your skills and see some of the other worlds. As my first and longest apprentice I trust you explicitly and believe that this mission would be a good change of pace for you, as opposed to your regular training.”

Terra quickly shot up straight in his seat, “Of course Master! I won’t let you down, thank you for this opportunity.” He said, a large smile on his face at this new opportunity, not even slightly concerned about the severity of his oncoming task.

“Do not thank me yet Terra, you are not yet aware of all aspects of this new mission.” Master Eraqus warned slightly leaning back in his seat to level Terra with a firm gaze. “You will not be going on this mission alone; Master Yen Sid’s apprentice will be accompanying you. She is an immensely powerful magic student, but has never been to other worlds before, so Master Yen Sid believed that this task would be a good learning opportunity for both of you.” Master Eraqus conveniently left out the part about hoping that they would learn discipline and skills from each other throughout their journey and possibly after. Although he was curious to hear how their first meeting would go from Yen Sid.

“Oh? Is the task really so dangerous, I thought it was simply reconnaissance?” Terra questioned, letting his gaze drift down to Master Eraqus’ hands which were lightly tapping out a steady rhythm on the wooden desk.

“Any potential darkness is dangerous Terra. We do not know yet what this new threat is, or if there even is a threat, but I have faith in my fellow Master and believe that if he has reason for concern,” Eraqus levelled Terra with a meaningful look, “we should all be concerned.”

“Of course, Master. I understand.” Terra responded, feeling slightly weary now due to his Masters tone and steely gaze. A few seconds of silence dragged on, the weight of Eraqus words still hanging heavily in the air.

Giving a world-weary sigh, Master Eraqus pushed away from his desk and stood up to his full height, fixing Terra with a look that told him to do the same. “That is enough talk for now. You won’t be returning to your training today, instead take the time to rest and prepare yourself, you leave first light tomorrow to meet Master Yen Sid.” Master Eraqus said, ushering Terra out of his study.

“Of course, Master…” Terra’s words trailed off slightly, his gaze focused on his shoes as he passed through the doorway out into the corridor. “Master, may I ask you a question?” Terra’s gaze was now firmly meeting Master Eraqus’ eyes.

“You may.” Eraqus replied curtly, standing just beyond the threshold of his study.

“Why me? Both Aqua and Ven are capable Keyblade wielders. Why not choose them?” Terra’s voice was strong, he did not ask these questions seeking praise, or because he believed himself unworthy. He was simply curious about his Masters thoughts.

“Because Terra, you have proven yourself to be a smart, strong and capable Keyblade wielder repeatedly over the years. However, there is only so much that can be taught with sparring and training, some things must be learnt through experiencing them. I believe that this mission will give you the opportunity to truly prove your capabilities, and will provide me the confidence to, when you return, begin your Mark of Mastery training.”

Terra’s eyes widened slightly, his Masters last words ringing in his ears. He had been trying for a few years now to prove to Master Eraqus that he was ready for the Mark of Mastery exam, believing that he had reached his potential with the current training he was doing.

“I- uh- of course Master!” Terra stuttered out dipping down into a small bow, rising back up with a large grin on his face. “I won’t let you down” he finished with a small nod. Terra then turned on his heel and began the walk back to his room, thinking about how he was going to spend the rest of the day, now that Master Eraqus had told him he wasn’t to go back to his usually training.

Weaving his way through familiar corridors, Terra’s mind began to wander, drifting between all the new information he had just learned. He was definitely nervous, but not from the potential danger that this mission could bring, rather the anticipation of seeing new worlds, proving himself to Master Eraqus, and then coming home to begin his Mark of Mastery training.

Coming to a stop outside of his door, Terra turned the handle and opened it, stepping into his room before closing the door softly behind him. With his mind deep in thought, he began moving on autopilot, taking of his heavy metal shoes and leaving them by the door, then removing his belt and pulling his suspenders down his shoulders to rest against his legs, leaving him in his stretchy work out shirt and standard trousers.

Thinking further, Terra’s mind wandered to the magic pupil Master Yen Sid was training, who according to Master Eraqus, was an extremely powerful mage. But then, Terra thought, why couldn’t they complete this mission alone? The flimsy reason Master Eraqus had given him didn’t sit right with Terra, because he too had never been to other worlds before, but his Master didn’t appear perturbed about sending him on this mission.

Giving a small shrug to himself, Terra made his way over to his large bed tucked into the corner of his room, taking a seat on the neatly pressed linens before letting his mind drift again. Perhaps there was something that Master Eraqus wasn’t telling him….

No, that couldn’t be it. Terra had complete faith in his Master, seeing Eraqus as a father figure for most of his life, Terra had unwavering faith in him and complete loyalty.

Lifting his eyes from where they rested, looking at his bare feet against the wooden floor, Terra cast his eyes around his rather plain room, wondering what he would do with the rest of his day. He couldn’t go out to the training grounds, as he didn’t want to disturb Ven and Aqua in their training, and he had truly little interest in doing anything else. There was nothing in his room which was grabbing his attention, a few books scattered on various surfaces, his bedside table being the worst offender, with a precarious stack of old and new books that looked like it would topple over at any second.

Coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t going to find anything productive to do, Terra resigned himself to be unproductive, deciding to take a long hot shower to remove the evidence of his morning training, and afterwards, see if he could take a short nap before lunch was served in the kitchen.

With his mind made up, Terra stood from the bed and walked over to another door in his room, opening it to reveal his on-suite bathroom. All of the bedrooms in the castle had a connecting bathroom, to give its inhabitants some privacy after spending most of the day together.

Terra slowly stripped out of his stretchy shirt, throwing it into the corner of the room to be washed and folded later, and did the same with his trousers and underwear before turning the faucet on in the large walk in shower.

As the bathroom began filling with steam, Terra once again felt his mind drifting between little pieces of information Master Eraqus had just told him, no doubt due to his thoughts not being consumed with his usual training. Stepping into the shower after it became hot enough, Terra began his regular routine of cleaning his hair thoroughly and scrubbing at his body, his actions slow and lethargic. With no rush to be anywhere, Terra decided to stay in the shower for a while, just staring into space, thinking about this new opportunity and what it entailed.

When the water began to turn cold, Terra knew he had spent enough time in the shower and stepped out onto a plush bathmat, turning the faucet off. Picking up one of the soft clean towels neatly stacked in the corner of the bathroom, Terra began to slowly dry his body before running the towel quickly through his dripping hair.

With his body now completely dry and his hair only slightly damp, Terra threw the used towel into the corner of the bathroom next to his dirty clothes, making a mental note to pick them up and clean them before nightfall, and walked back into his room.

Making his way over to his dresser, Terra pulled out a clean pair of underwear before slipping them on and walking back over to his bed. Terra was never a big fan of pyjamas, even as a child, always feeling like they were too restrictive, and choosing to sleep with just underwear instead.

Settling himself in the very centre of his large bed, his ankles crossed and his hands behind his head, Terra closed his eyes and let his mind and body relax while it could, knowing that in a few hours he would be woken up again to have lunch with everyone else.

As the minutes ticked by, Terra felt himself slowly slipping into a deep sleep, his final thoughts resting on the skilled mage apprentice he would meet tomorrow. What were they like? What sort of magic could they do? Would they work well together?

All those questions slowly drifted away into the back of Terra’s minds as he fell into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terra starts his journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so i really wanted to get out another chapter ASAP because i was really touched by the nice comments left on the first chapter, so i wrote this during work... oops.  
> After this chapter there's probably going to be a perspective change, as we are introduced to the mysterious magic student and we'll be experiencing the story through her eyes.
> 
> UPDATED 11/12/2019

Terra woke up a few hours later from his nap, to enjoy a small lunch with Master Eraqus, Ven and Aqua. Both Aqua and Ven insistently questioned why Terra wasn’t at practice the whole morning, taking wild guesses which got more outlandish the longer they went on.

“Are you sick? You didn’t look sick this morning?” Aqua questioned, leaning forward across the small table the four were sat at, as if getting a closer look at Terra’s face would yield all the answers. “You don’t look sick now either.”

“Of course, he’s not sick Aqua! Terra doesn’t get sick. I bet it’s because you got a secret mission from Master Eraqus!” Ven chimed in, shoving more food into his mouth, subtly reaching across the table to steal some bread off of Terra’s plate, hoping that the young man wouldn’t notice. Of course, Terra did notice but he was far too focused on the other two apprentices’ wild speculations to make a fuss about some stolen food.

“That’s ridiculous Ven, have you been reading more of your fantasy books instead of studying again?” Aqua questioned, staring Ventus down with a look that could only be described as ‘a mother’s disapproval.’ Aqua took another bite from her sandwich, setting it down on her plate before serving herself another serving of salad from the large bowl in the centre of the table.

“That was one time!” Ventus practically shouted, “and no, I just think tha- “

“That enough now” Eraqus interrupted, giving a stern look to both Aqua and Ven, “Terra will be going away for a short period to help an old friend of mine with a few things, that’s all. Now, there will be no further talk on the subject.” And with that, the dining hall was reduced to silence, everyone’s attention returning to their own plates.

In truth, Terra was about to interrupt Aqua himself to clear things up, but thought better, deciding that if Master Eraqus wanted Aqua and Ven to know, he would tell them himself. And sure enough, the Master had spoken up and only told the two the bare minimum.

Terra’s eyes focused on his plate, picking at the small crumbs and moving them around the plate with his fork, not feeling particularly hungry and his mind pre-occupied. If Master Eraqus didn’t want Ven and Aqua to know about where he was going, or what he would be doing, it must be for a reason. Or maybe he just didn’t think it was important that they know….

His mind was dragged back to the present by the sound of chair legs scrapping along the ground. Looking up from his plate, Terra saw Master Eraqus rising slowly from his seat.

“I will be heading back to my study for now, but I will be out in the training grounds in an hour to check on both of your progress.” Eraqus said, his eyes meeting Aqua’s and Ven’s before settling on Terra. “Terra, please continue preparing for your journey.”

All three apprentices quickly got to their feet, giving a small bow to Master Eraqus before he turned and walked out of the dining hall towards his study. Everyone settled back into their seats to finish their lunch before cleaning up the bowls, plates and cups left on the table.

“So, Terra…” Ven started, drawing the young man’s eyes towards him, “I was right, it is a super top-secret mission that you’re going on?” Ven finished, a bright and cheeky smile on his face, before taking a final bite out of his sandwich.

Terra let a small chuckle, “yes Ven, it’s a ‘super top-secret mission’, which means I can’t tell you anything about it, alright?” Terra said, standing up and beginning to stack up the plates on the table to take them back to the kitchen.

“I knew it! I told you Aqua.” Ven cheered, following Terra’s lead and standing up to help clear the rest of the table, blowing his blonde hair out of his eyes, when he leaned over to grab the last bowl on the table, before hefting them up in his arms.

Aqua looked up at Ven from where she still sat at the table with a raised eyebrow before conceding to Ven’s bright smile and letting out an amused huff. Aqua then stood up too, gathered the cups and utensils from the table and walked to the kitchen.

“So, then Terra,” Aqua called over her shoulder, as the two boys followed after her with the plates and bowls. “If this really is a mission from Master Eraqus, and it is ‘super top-secret’, can you not tell us anything about it?” She questioned

Aqua placed the utensils and cups down on the kitchen counter, turning to lean her back against it, folding her arms over her chest and levelling Terra with a curious gaze.

“Well…”, Terra began, placing the plates he was holding next to Aqua’s stack of dirty dishes on the counter, “I’m not sure, I don’t really know a lot about it myself.” Terra moved out of the way so Ven could place the last of the plates and bowls down on the kitchen counter, moving further back and standing in the kitchen’s doorway.

“So, when are you leaving then?” Ven jumped in, rummaging around in the kitchen cupboards, no doubt looking for some sort of sweet treat. Aqua quickly leaned over and closed the cupboard Ven was currently looking in without taking her eyes off of Terra, making Ven jump slightly.

Terra let out a little laugh, watching Ven as he pouted at Aqua for denying him his desert. “Tomorrow. First light according to Master Eraqus.” Sighing, he shifted so he was leaning against the kitchen door frame, his feet crossed at the ankle with his arms across his chest.

“So soon?!” Ven gasped, rushing over to Terra and standing in front of him with his hands on his hips. “But we were supposed to have a big sparring match tomorrow…” The fire in Ventus’ eyes died out, instead looking dejected, with his arms hanging loosely by his side.

Terra smiled fondly before reaching down and ruffling Ven’s hair, “It’s ok Ven, I shouldn’t be gone too long, and when I get back, we can spar as much as you want.” Terra removed his hand, placing it under his chin as if he was thinking. “That is… If you think you can beat me?” with a sly grin he looked down to Ven who was currently trying to fix his hair.

Ven paused in his attempts to smooth out the messy strands to look up at Terra’s sly smile before giving his own equally cunning grin. “Oh, you’re on! You’ll see, I’ll train really hard while you’re gone and then when you get back, I’ll beat you fair and square!” Ven then took off, jogging past Terra out of the kitchen, only to call back over his shoulder. “I’m gonna get a head start on training!” before disappearing from sight.

Aqua and Terra shared a look before dissolving into little giggles, completely enamoured with how childlike Ventus could be. After a few seconds they both calmed down with a deep sigh, before looking at each other again. Aqua straightened from leaning against the kitchen counter to stand before Terra, much the same way Ven did only a few moments ago.

“You’ll be careful right? No running into danger or anything.” Aqua scolded, trying and failing to hide her worry. Even though Terra was 2 years older than Aqua, since she joined him and Master Eraqus at the castle, she had acted like a mother hen, making sure that neither of the boys got into danger of hurt themselves. Sometimes it could be annoying, but other times, like now, Terra could see that this was her way of showing she cared.

Terra gave a small reassuring smile whilst shifting to stand up straight “Don’t worry Aqua, I’ll be back before you know it.” He said, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze to show his sincerity.

Suddenly, the sound of Ventus yelping followed by the sound of something falling over travelled down the corridors into the kitchen, followed shortly by a muffled “I’m ok!”

Aqua rolled her eyes skyward, “I guess that’s my que,” she said, beginning to walk out of the kitchen and towards the directions that the clattering noise happened. “Can’t leave him for 5 minutes huh.”

Terra chuckled watching Aqua leave whilst muttering to herself, before calling after her, “Go easy on him ok? You were just as clumsy when you started your Keyblade training.” He pointed out.

Before Aqua could respond with a humorously scathing remark, another crash came from down the corridor, making her pick up the pace and jog down the halls, no doubt to find Ven making a mess of one of the training rooms.

Terra watched her run off with a laugh, before turning his attention back into the kitchen, to all the dirty dishes that sat neatly stacked next to the sink. With nothing else planned for the day, Terra shrugged and walked over to the sink to begin cleaning up the mess left after lunch. Usually it would be Ventus’ day to do the dishes, but in his excitement to start his training, he had forgotten.

After filling the sink with soapy water, Terra began methodically cleaning the plates, scrubbing them and leaving them on the draining board, before moving onto the bowls, then the cups and finally finishing on the cutlery. Whilst his hands were moving, Terra’s mind was drifting, not focusing on one train of thought for too long.

After a short while, the cleaning was all done, and Terra was draining the sink and picking up a kitchen towel from on top of the counter to begin drying and putting away everything. As he went, Terra could hear the sounds of metal clashing together and Aqua’s voice carrying through the corridors, though not clear enough to pick up what she was saying.

With the final plate in the cabinet, Terra placed the towel back onto the counter and began making his way outside. Knowing that Ventus and Aqua were in a training room meant that he could go outside without the risk of disturbing their afternoon practise.

Terra hadn’t had this much time to himself in a while, with no training to complete, no books to study and no sparring to participate in, he was feeling a little lost for what to do. Knowing that there was nothing in his room of interest, Terra decided to take a walk through the castle grounds.

After walking down a couple of halls and through a few doors, Terra found his way outside into the bright afternoon sunlight. The sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky, but a pleasant breeze stopped him from feeling too hot. Making his way down the steps, he began a slow and leisurely pace through the various training equipment that was positioned out in the courtyard, before walking past them and down the summit to the more rural area around the castle.

As the training and exercise equipment grew further and further behind him, Terra began passing by some stone benches, which each looked out over the cliff with a perfect view of the landscape. Terra kept walking a bit further until he found a bench with a small tree growing not too far away from it, providing a nice bit of shade to rest under.

Taking a seat, Terra cast his gaze upward to watch the leaves on the tree drift gently in the breeze, a sense of calm washing over him that he hadn’t felt in a while. _I wonder how long it will be before I can feel this relaxed again,_ Terra questioned himself, feeling his calm mood slowly shift to a gloomier tone.

Master Eraqus hadn’t told him how long he would be gone for, it could be a few days, or a few weeks… maybe even months. Pulling his gaze from the trees canopy, Terra looked out to the view, the sunlight casting shadows into crevices of the rocks and the trees.

No matter how long it took, Terra knew he would come home again eventually, and when he did, he could prove to Master Eraqus that he has what it takes to be a Keyblade Master.

Terra sat there for a while, with just the sound of the breeze rustling through the nearby trees to prove that time was passing at all. As the hours flew by, Terra was feeling positively lethargic, the warmth of the rays penetrating the shade of the tree he was sat under to warm him through to the bones.

A small sigh escaped Terra’s lips as he slowly got to his feet, deciding that he had spent enough time relaxing in the sun and it was time to head back. Making his way slowly back to castle, Terra decided that he was going to go back to his room and have another short rest and then begin preparing for his journey tomorrow.

As he walked back, Terra noticed the sun was now much lower in the sky, casting bright shades of pink, orange and red across the ground and the side of the castle, giving it a peaceful and dreamlike feel. As Terra made his way once again up the stairs and into the castle, he could very faintly hear the sound of Aqua and Ven still training down the hall.

Knowing that he would see them again for dinner in a few hours, Terra decided to head straight to his room, his heavy shoes slightly dragging on the ground. Maybe it was because Terra hadn’t done as much physical activity as he usually would, but he was feeling absolutely exhausted, his steps small and slow as opposed to his regular long strides.

Entering his room, Terra once again removed his heavy shoes, a habit that Master Eraqus had enforced on him since he was a child that he was secretly grateful for and settled on his bed. Despite having a nap earlier today, the suns warmth had made Terra so tired that the minute his head hit the pillow, his eyes were already closing and just a few moments later, he was sound asleep.

~

The rest of the day was rather uneventful. Terra woke a few hours later to have dinner with Master Eraqus, Aqua and Ventus, which was filled with Ven telling everyone how he was going to beat Terra in a sparring match when he got back from his mission. Master Eraqus was silently amused by the boy’s enthusiasm, whereas Aqua felt she needed to remind Ventus that if he really wanted to beat Terra, he needed to keep training and not slack off so much.

Only being 3 years younger than Aqua, and 5 years younger than Terra, Ventus still managed to keep a childlike youth and optimism about him that Terra often found himself admiring.

After dinner was finished and everything was cleaned up, everyone went their separate ways to their bedrooms to get some rest after a long day. But Terra didn’t go to bed straight away, instead deciding to start preparing all the necessary things he would need for tomorrow morning. After a few minutes of struggling to think of what he would need, Terra came to conclusion that if he needed anything, Master Eraqus would have told him already.

Deciding not to stress about it, Terra stripped down to his underwear, before climbing into bed for the third time that day, to hopefully get as much sleep as possible. However, with tomorrows nerves weighing heavily on his mind it took Terra a while before he eventually drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

~

“I’m gonna miss you….” Ventus murmured, his eyes downcast as he stood in front of Terra. With the sun just coming up over the horizon, it cast a mesmerising glow across the four souls stood in the castles entrance. Master Eraqus, Aqua and Ventus stood in a line, all waiting for their opportunity to say goodbye to Terra and wish him a safe return.

“I won’t be gone long, promise.” Terra said leaning down slightly to meet Ven’s eyes, and when he did, giving a big reassuring smile. “And when I get back, I expect you to be able to knock me clean off my feet, understand?” he continued, once again ruffling the younger boy’s hair in a show of brotherly affection.

Ventus smile grew twice as big at Terra’s last words. “You can count on it!” he said, his regular enthusiasm restored.

Terra straightened up as Aqua came to stand before him, an equally gloomy expression on her face as the one Ven was just wearing a few moments ago. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to put her thoughts in order before speaking. After a few moments Aqua finally managed to get her words out. “Remember what I told you yesterday ok? No being reckless.” With her arms crossed tightly over her chest she tried to put on an air of nonchalance but was failing miserably.

“You worry too much Aqua, but I’ll make sure to be careful.” Terra replied, knowing that she had never been particularly good at showing vulnerability, even to him and Ventus after all the years they had been together. Aqua visibly relaxed, which made Terra feel a little better, knowing that he had a least put some of her worries to rest.

As she stepped away, Master Eraqus took her place, resting a hand on Terra’s shoulder and gently guiding him further away from the other two. After a few steps, Eraqus turned to Terra with a small smile. “I know you will make me proud Terra,” he started, keeping his eyes on the young man who he considered a son. “And I look forward to your return, and the start of your Mark of Mastery training.” Eraqus finished with a small smile which conveyed all of the trust and faith that the Master had in his apprentice.

Terra’s eyes were beginning to sting from Eraqus’ touching words, and after blinking a few times, gave a bright smile in return to his father figure. “I won’t let you down Master.”

With those words, Eraqus released the hold he had on Terra’s shoulder and took a few steps back, giving the young man some room. Terra cast his eyes once more across his family with a wide smile, before activating his Keyblade armour in a bright flash of light and jumping on his glider.

With a final look at the castle, not knowing how long it would be before he saw it again, Terra guided his glider to a small portal that would take him to the lanes between worlds. From there, Master Eraqus had told him the way to get to the Mysterious Tower to meet up with Master Yen Sid for further details about the mission.

As the void of space and darkness spread for what looked like infinity around Terra’s glider, his mind was running a mile a minute, with so many thoughts and questions that he wanted to ask Master Yen Sid.

A small sigh left his lips before setting his eyes forward to navigate the tricky and bumpy lanes between. All of his questioned would be answered when he got the Mysterious Tower and spoke with Master Yen Sid.

_It will all work out in the end._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes, and comments give me life and motivation to update hahaha


	3. Scepticism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frustrations run high as Yen Sid's magic apprentice finds out the good news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so a complete change in perspective from this point onwards as we are introduced to our main character and will be viewing the story through her eyes. Also please point out if I got any tenses wrong, as I often found myself switching between first and third a lot while writing this oops.
> 
> UPDATED 11/12/2019

The Previous Day -

“Master Yen Sid, is this really necessary? You know I don’t need a babysitter.” You said, crossing your arms tightly over your chest and cocking your hip to the side. Over the last half an hour, you felt like you had been going around in circles, trying to show why the other was wrong and you were right. “Haven’t I already proven myself?”

Master Yen Sid sighed from his standing position, looking outside the windows of his study, refusing to meet your eyes as you stood a few feet away in front of his large wooden desk where he had been previously sitting. You couldn’t understand why Master Yen Sid didn’t trust you. This seemed like such an easy mission, a perfect opportunity to prove your capabilities to him, and yet he was denying you.

Over the years of being his apprentice, Master Yen Sid had started out having complete trust in you, but had recently begun slowly monitoring you more, even going so far as to remove some of the more dangerous magic books and apparatus from the library and moving them into his study.

Where you couldn’t get to them.

“You have proven your magical prowess, yes. But you have not shown adequate restraint, or responsibility for your actions.” Master Yen Sid said finally, turning his attention from the outside world back to you. His gaze left very little room for argument, but you were at the end of your rope.

“That’s ridiculous!” you yelled out, one of your arms flailing to the side. “When have I had the chance to show responsibility? You’ve never let me leave the world! This is the perfect opportunity!”

Moving around his desk to stand in front of Master Yen Sid you continued, “This is my chance to show you all these qualities _you think_ I lack, but instead of trusting me, you’re making me ‘team up’ with some random stranger I’ve never met, just so you can keep an eye on me.” you finished, your hands on your hips, looking up at your Master defiantly.

Yen Sid gave another deep sigh before turning his attention back out the window, away from your fiery gaze. “He is not ‘some random stranger.’ He is the apprentice of one of my closest and oldest friends.” He said, closing his eyes. “He is also a Keyblade wielder, a very capable one. I would not trust this mission to just anybody.”

You gave a small huff of indignation, “I don’t care if he is a Keyblade wielder, or even a Keyblade Master, I’ve never met him, so he is still a stranger.” You cast your eyes to the side to look at one of the various bookshelves, instead of trying to burn a hole into the side of Yen Sid’s head. Dropping your arms to your side and releasing the air you didn’t know you were holding, you continued. “You won’t see this from my perspective, will you?” you questioned, still not meeting his eyes.

Yen Sid finally turned from the window, placing a heavy hand on your shoulder to bring your attention to him. You raised your gaze slowly, coming to a stop when you met his sad eyes. “This isn’t about perspective,” he started calmly, “this is about what I believe is right for you, as my apprentice.”

With that, he turned his back to you once again and spoke. “There will be no more talk on the subject, the Keyblade wielder is due to arrive tomorrow morning, and I expect you to be there to greet him.”

You opened your mouth to protest, but Master Yen Sid beat you to the punch, quickly cutting in. “That is an order. You will greet him at the edge of the world and bring him back to the tower. Then I will tell both of you all the details and information you will need for your upcoming mission.”

Still facing Yen Sid’s back, you crossed your arms once again over your chest and tapped your fingers lightly against your upper arm in agitation. Whenever the Master gets into one of his foul moods, there was no way to get through to him.

“You will take the rest of the day off from your magical training. Get a full day’s rest and prepare yourself for tomorrow, the Keyblade wielder is expected at first light.” Yen Sid said, in a tone that clearly indicated there would be no further discussion.

A final small sigh left your lips, knowing the argument was lost, before uncurling your arms and dipping down into a small half bow. “Yes Master.” You said sullenly, before turning on your heel and walking out of Yen Sid’s study.

~

The clack of your heels was the only sound in the Mysterious Tower, the various corridors and rooms that appeared and reappeared within its walls always eerily empty. But over the years, you couldn’t imagine this place being loud and bustling with people, the mere thought of it seeming very foreign.

 _Well, what am I supposed to do now?_ You thought, turning your head left and right as you walked down the lonely hallways, hoping that something would jump out at you and grab your attention. _Maybe I should just get some rest…._

A grumble from your stomach quickly halted your thoughts, making you stop in your tracks in the middle of one of the long spiralling staircases. _I suppose that answers that question_ , you thought, quickly making your way down the stairs and taking a left, leading you to the tower’s large kitchen and connected dining room.

Quickly rifling through the various cupboards and fridges you finally found everything you would need to make a nice meal. Despite there only being two people living in the tower, _and one of them not even eating_ , you thought bitterly, you still liked to prepare nice and fancy meals for yourself every day.

One of the many peculiarities you had discovered about Master Yen Sid over the many years of being his pupil, was that the man simply didn’t eat. Well, rather you had never seen him eat anything whilst you had been here. Since you were old enough to start cooking for yourself in the tower, without the risk of burning it down, you had been preparing your own meals every day.

Of course, when you started, your food mainly consisted of plain meats, salads and sandwiches every day. But as you grew older, and less likely to cause a small fire in the kitchen, you had begun experimenting more with your food. You considered it a bit like magic training, the act of combining ingredients and elements together to make something new.

As time went on, you began making more adventurous foods, using new and exciting ingredients that would magically appear in the tower’s kitchen, and reading all about different cuisines from other worlds in the books that Master Yen Sid would give you.

But still, no matter what you cooked, Master Yen Sid never ate it, leading you to believe that he just didn’t eat, and if he did it was never anything you had cooked and there was never any evidence of it. As you were slicing up some vegetable, you remembered one time when you were a lot younger, maybe 12 or 13, and you had brought a plate of one of your latest creations up to Master Yen Sid’s study for his dinner. After opening the door, he graciously accepted the meal, but the next morning you found it in kitchen, without a single bite taken from it.

You smiled a little at the memory of your shock and sudden determination, sliding the vegetables off the chopping board and into a saucepan with boiling oil and some spices and herbs. Reaching across the counter, you grabbed the meat and began covering it in herbs and sauces.

Ever since that day, you had been trying to get Master Yen Sid to try your cooking, even going as far as to wait outside his study to ambush him with a plate of delicious food. In truth, you knew it was a wasted effort, but the thought of just cooking for yourself every day was a rather depressing one, so you continued the tradition.

Placing the now prepared meat onto a baking tray and into the oven to cook, you checked on the roasting vegetables in the pan, gently lifting the lid off to be met with a blast of hot, rich smelling steam. Checking on their progress, you decide that they need a few more minutes cooking before being perfect.

With nothing else to do but wait, you leaned back on the kitchen counter, crossing your ankles and gently playing with your long hair. Even though it was in a tight braid, it still managed to easily reach the middle of your back, its length reaching your knees when it was loose. Even though it was inconvenient to have it so long, you couldn’t imagine cutting your hair, having begun growing it out when you started your magic apprenticeship under Master Yen Sid all those years ago.

You slowly ran your hands along the long braid, your mind drifting to the conversation you just had with Yen Sid. _This is ridiculous, I don’t need someone to watch over me. They’ll probably just end up getting in my way_ , you thought, still bitter about the decision your Master had made.

He had told you very little about the upcoming mission. You had learned of the growing darkness he was concerned about a short while ago, so Master Yen Sid felt no need to tell you any more information until the Keyblade wielder arrived tomorrow. Still, you knew that for him to allow you off world, it must be something serious, even if you had a chaperone.

You were ripped from your thought by the sound of metal clattering, quickly looking up from your hair to see that the saucepan was rattling and shaking as hot steam tried to escape from under the lid.

Rushing forward, you turned off the hob that the saucepan was sitting on and grabbed a kitchen towel, wrapping it around your hands quickly before reaching out and moving the saucepan off the oven top and onto a cooling rack.

Leaving the saucepan to cool, you reached down to the oven door and opened it, a rush of spices meeting your nose and revealing the meat you had placed in their earlier, perfect cooked and smelling divine. Reaching in with your hands still covered in the kitchen towel, you pulled out the baking tray and set it next to the saucepan on the countertop, before turning off the oven completely.

Letting out a small sigh of relief that you hadn’t burnt your dinner too much, you put down the kitchen towel and started cleaning up the mess you had made, waiting for the food to cool a little before dishing it up. _After this I should go to bed, I must be tired if I’m becoming so distracted_ , you thought as you began putting the cutting board and knives into the sink, before filling it with warm soapy water to soak while you ate.

Finally serving up your dinner onto one of the many fancy plates in the cupboard, you walked through a door in the kitchen leading through to the connected dining room. Letting the door close on its own, you walk a few steps before coming to the head of the table at the end of the room.

Placing your plate gently on the table before taking a seat, you took a minute to admire the empty room. You had always wondered why a room like this existed, considering only Master Yen Sid lived at the tower before you arrived. With its stupidly long table, that could fit over 30 people, and opulent décor, it seemed very out of place in comparison to the rest of the tower’s small and practical rooms.

You had asked Master Yen Sid many times in the past, why such an amazingly opulent room existed, but he never gave you a straight answer, usually ignoring the question or pretending he didn’t hear you. You concluded that the Master must just like fancy things, what with how fancy the rest of the tower’s décor was, and wanted a large dining room ‘just because.’

Shrugging to yourself, you began eating your meal slowly, in no particular rush to head back to your room, cutting your food into tiny pieces and taking small bites. After maybe forty five minutes of dragging out your meal, you finally finished everything on your plate and stood, taking it back to the kitchen to clean it and put it away.

Walking back into the kitchen, you looked to the rest of the food, which sat much the same as yours had, on a fancy plate in the middle of the kitchen counter. You knew Master Yen Sid wouldn’t eat it, but you still left it out anyway, knowing you would find it tomorrow morning, untouched.

 _Maybe today will be the day?_ You thought.

Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time that day, you dropped your dirty plate into the sink and began washing up everything you had used to make dinner. Scowling lightly at the soapy water, you muttered to yourself, “I hate washing up.”

In your opinion it was the worst part of cooking, and the most tedious. After cooking the actual meal, you felt like someone else should do the washing up, but with the only other resident being Master Yen Sid, you didn’t have a choice.

Finally finishing washing, drying and putting everything back into its place, you took one finally look over the kitchen, making sure you hadn’t missed anything. When you didn’t find anything, you gave a small nod to yourself before turning and exiting the kitchen, making your way back to your bedroom.

You were grateful that your room wasn’t too far from the kitchen, as your full stomach was making you feel rather sleepy. Rounding a corner to find your door, you gently pushed it open before closing it behind you with your foot.

Your eyes drifted to your inviting bed as you began to strip off your clothes and place them neatly on top of your desk, taking extra care with your skirt, knowing that the material made it very easy to get wrinkles in it.

After completely stripping down you walked over to your chest of drawers, pulling out a loose t-shirt to wear to bed, preferring your legs be left bare at night. Slipping it on over your head, you took a seat on the edge of your bed, reaching over to your nightstand to grab your hairbrush.

Bringing your braid round the front of your body, you slowly began the task of untangling it and gently brushing it out. After a few minutes, your long hair was completely free of the braid, and you began running your brush through it a few more times, just to make sure you hadn’t missed any knots, before tying it into a loose ponytail at the base of your head.

From an outsider’s perspective, sleeping with such long hair seemed an impossible task, but over the years you barely noticed it anymore. Putting your hairbrush down on your bedside table, you gently manoeuvred yourself to be lying under the covers with your head resting on your soft pillow.

However, now that your eyes were closed and you were ready to sleep, your mind wouldn’t be quiet, asking numerous questions about what was going to happen in the coming days ahead.

_What if this Keyblade wielder is really irritating? Well there’s nothing I can do about that._

_What if they get in my way and make me screw up? I’m sure Master Yen Sid would understand, and maybe even let me out next time without a babysitter._

Those questions were easy to ignore, but as the minutes ticked past and you were unable to fall asleep, the questions became more and more bleak.

_What if the darkness ends up being more serious than Master Yen Sid thinks?_

_What if Master Yen Sid is right and I’m not ready for this?_

_What if I fail?_

With your thoughts now running rampant and sleep evading you, you sat up in bed, pushing your covers down till they just barely covered your feet, resigning yourself to the world of the waking. Reaching over to your bedside table, you pulled one of the various magic books from the pile and opened it to the last page you read. All of the books by your bed you had read countless times, and you could no longer learn something new from them, but you still enjoyed reading them for some reason.

These were some of the first magic books that Mater Yen Sid had let you read when he first brought you to the Mysterious Tower, so they weren’t particularly advanced. At the time however, you had been absolutely captivated by the words and diagrams on the pages, refusing the put any of the books down until you read every word on every page twice.

Even know, as your eyes skimmed over the well-worn pages, you knew you could recite all of the books word for word and not get a single thing wrong. And maybe that was why you found them so relaxing. Reading more and more pages, your eyelids began getting heavier and heavier until you could barely keep them open.

Letting out a small yawn and sliding down until you were once again lying in your bed, you placed the old book back in its place on the nightstand and pulled the covers up to rest around your shoulders. As your eyes slowly fluttered closed and you drifted off to sleep, you had one last thought run through your mind.

_I hope everything works out in the end…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes and comments / Kudo's give me the motivation to get chapters out ASAP xx


	4. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings can be confusing when you're not used to them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want this to be a slow burn, but at the same time i just want them to get on with it! Sorry if Terra seems a bit OOC in this chapter, im gonna work on that for the next chapter xx
> 
> UPDATED 11/12/2019

You were falling. The only reason you knew you were falling was the deafening rush of air that echoed in your ears, and the weightless feeling surrounding your whole body. You couldn’t open your eyes; it was simultaneously too bright and too dark to see anything. Your brain couldn’t comprehend what it was seeing, and it made you dizzy, so you kept your eyes closed.

Time felt like it was stretching on forever but also going too fast to understand what was happening. You weren’t sure how long you had been falling, it could have been seconds, or it could have been forever.

If you focused enough you could sense other things around you, like the smell of sea salt, and the crashing of waves on a beach. That didn’t make any sense though, you had never been to a beach, or even seen one with your own eyes. In truth, all these sounds and smells you thought were surrounding you, were all based on what you had read in books, so were probably completely inaccurate.

You tried to stretch your senses out further, searching for more puzzle pieces to fill in the picture in your mind. You thought you heard voices, lots of them, but they were so faint that you couldn’t understand what they were saying. They sounded like they were getting closer though, slowly but surely, the voice began to unscramble and form a single word.

As you felt yourself plummeting towards who knows what, the sound of the rushing air faded away to be replaced by the one word the voices kept repeating over and over, slowly getting more and more urgent until it felt like they were shouting and screaming it.

Shouting and screaming your name.

You jolted awake in bed, sending your covers flying and your hair whipping around your face to obscure your vision, breathing heavily.

Dreams weren’t common for you, which made a nightmare even more unusual. That being said, as your mind slowly adjusted to the waking world, the nightmare that you had just woken from slipped further and further out of reach. As your breathing finally evened out, the last remnants of your nightmare slipped between your fingers, leaving you painfully unaware of what had woken you up.

Heaving a small sigh, you reached up to push your mess of hair out of face before shifting yourself to sit on the edge of your bed. Looking over to one of the circular windows in your room, you saw that the sun hadn’t risen yet, meaning you could probably get some more sleep before getting up.

But as that thought entered your mind, your Master’s words from yesterday echoed loudly inside your head. ‘…The Keyblade wielder is due to arrive tomorrow morning, and I expect you to be there to greet him.’

Taking another look outside, you knew you probably shouldn’t go back to sleep, or risk Master Yen Sid’s wrath of disobeying his direct order. Letting out a loud groan, you heaved yourself out of your bed, quickly throwing the blankets around until they looked slightly neater.

Running your hands through your hair and letting out a quiet yawn, you stumbled over to your dresser with your eyes half closed. Pulling out a clean pair of underwear you began putting on your usually training gear. Slipping on your stretchy shorts first before stepping into your long skirt and positioning it so that the long slit ran up the side of your leg.

Walking over to your bed again, you pulled your loose long-sleeved shirt over your head, making sure that the buttons down the front were all done up, before sitting down and reaching for your hairbrush. Slowly running the brush through your hair, your previous thoughts and aggressions from yesterday reared their ugly heads.

Now you had slept on it, you could understand why Yen Sid was doing all of this, teaming you up with a Keyblade wielder. In his own way, he was trying to show he was worried, and no doubt was trying to keep you safe on your first venture to other worlds. His lack of awareness of your emotions wasn’t new, and it probably would never change, you simply had to learn to read between the lines.

Finally finishing brushing through your hair, you decided to leave it down today. You couldn’t imagine you would be doing any sort of physical activity, what with the Keyblade wielder showing up and the all-day briefing you would surely be getting, you were certain that today was going to be more mentally straining than physically.

Putting your hairbrush down, you stood up from your bed and walked over to your door, slipping on your shoes before making your way out of your bedroom, closing the door quietly behind you. Slowly walking down the various halls and corridors finally led you outside, just in time to see the sun begin to rise over the horizon.

Breathing in the crisp morning air, you started your leisurely stroll down to the edge of the world to wait for the Keyblade wielder’s arrival. The world wasn’t large, or at least you didn’t consider it to be, given that this was the only world you could remember. This meant that you only had a short walk before coming to the edge of the world, staring out into the spacey abyss, that didn’t unnerve you as it once did when you first got to the Mysterious Tower.

Taking a seat on the edge of the world, you let your feet dangle over the side, knowing that if you were to fall you could always fly back up. Smiling a little, you recounted the first time you performed a flying spell. Master Yen Sid didn’t even know you had been reading about it, so to say he was shocked when he saw an 11-year-old girl zipping around in circles outside his study window, is an understatement.

Thinking about it, when was the last time you had let your hair down and just flown? Most of the time Master Yen Sid would catch you and cast a gravity spell, sending you hurtling back to the ground. He always said that flying around was a waste of time, and that you should focus on other more practical spells to master.

You had been waiting for a while now, the sun shining brightly down on your back, and you were beginning to become impatient. Who does this Keyblade wielder think they are leaving you waiting out here?

Huffing a bit, you leaned back until you were lying on the ground, your arms crossed behind your head and your legs swinging off the side of the world. Well, if they’re gonna make you wait, you were going to do whatever you wanted to, to pass the time. And right now all you wanted to do was fly.

Nodding your head in encouragement to yourself, you quickly sprung up from your relaxed position and planted your feet firmly on the ground. Taking a few steadying breaths, you closed your eyes and concentrated on the ground below your feet, imagining it slowly disappearing.

Before you knew it, you felt your body becoming weightless, drifting slowly upwards away from the grassy soil. As your body stopped floating higher and levelled out, maybe two feet off the ground, you opened your eyes and began to shift yourself around in the air trying to remember how to start moving.

As you thought that, your body suddenly lurched forward sending you careening through the air at a fast speed. Squealing slightly in shock, your body took a moment to adjust before it began to move through the air gracefully, soaring and cartwheeling to your hearts content. ‘God, you should sneak out and do this more often’, you thought to yourself, your heart finally feeling at peace since the events of yesterday.

After a while of flying around, you pushed a section of hair out of your face and looked down to see Master Yen Sid waiting where you were not too long ago, with another silhouette you didn’t recognise. That must be the Keyblade wielder, you thought, but you couldn’t make out any details from this far up. The only details you could get was the fact they were tall. Really tall.

You began slowly circling around in the air until you were just above the two, preparing to float gently down to the ground. Clearly Master Yen Sid thought you were taking too long, because before you could take a breath and begin your descent, you were falling.

You should be used to it by now, the rushing of air past your ears as you plummeted back to the ground, but it still made your heart leap into your throat, muffling any scream you would have made. The fall wouldn’t kill you, maybe give you some serious bruises, but you still hoped that Master Yen Sid would cast an air spell to cushion your fall. But he only really did that when he was feeling generous, and you had a feeling he wasn’t in a particularly merciful mood today.

All these thoughts happened within a split second, and before you knew it you collided with something, landing with a small oomph and your hair coming around your face to obscure your vision. Not even taking a breath to realise that you had landed unharmed, you launched into an explanation.

“Master Yen Sid was that necessary? I was just about to come down! I’d been waiting for ages for the Keyblade wielder to arrive and I just needed a little time to myself.” You got out in a quick breath, huffing slightly as you tried to move your hair away from your eyes.

“Sorry about that, I had some trouble finding you. The lanes between can be pretty confusing sometimes” you heard a new voice chuckle from above you.

Your whole body went stiff, the only thing moving was your chest with your slow breaths, and your hand which gently pushed your hair from your eyes. Looking up you met two bright blue eyes gazing down at you, slight crinkles around the edges which hinted at the cheeky grin that was plastered on his lips.

You very quickly realised that Master Yen Sid didn’t cast a spell to break your fall, rather the handsome man looking down at you, literally caught you out of the sky. You were shocked speechless, your eyes travelling over his features slowly. His rich chocolate coloured hair, his beautiful blue eyes that shinned with a mirth that you hadn’t seen before, his straight nose that rested above the most perfect lips you could imagine, which were currently tilted up into a sassy smirk.

You were so caught up admiring the most beautiful (Only) man you had ever seen, that you jolted when you heard Master Yen Sid clear his throat, whipping your head to the side to look at him, your hair still partially covering your face.

“Now that we are all here, we can begin. Follow me, we have much to discuss.” Yen Sid said, turning on his heel to start walking back to the tower. I turned my eyes back to the man still holding me in his arms like I weighed nothing and gave a little cough to get his attention.

“C-could you umm, let me down please?” you asked, in the most timid voice you had ever heard yourself use, even stumbling a little over your words as a deep blush crawled up your cheeks. ‘God what is wrong with you?’ You thought, your entire body feeling hot and uncomfortable, but at the same time, the most relaxed you had felt in a long time.

The man jerked a little, clearly being lost in his own thoughts before shaking his head a little and speaking. “Of course,” he said, gently lowering you to the ground and placing you lightly on your feet, before slowly retreating his arms back to his sides.

Now that you were stood on your own two feet, you felt a little better, the deep blush retreating as you pushed all of your hair into a ponytail with one of the many hairbands you kept on your wrists at all time. Feeling a little better about your appearance, you began walking after Master Yen Sid’s silhouette, trying to ignore the tall man walking just a few paces behind you.

The silence was unbearable, the short walk that had brought you to the edge of the world that morning, suddenly felt like an eternity walking back. Giving yourself a mental slap at your own stupid behaviour, you tilted your head slightly over your shoulder and slowed your pace down, until you were walking side by side with the Keyblade wielder.

Taking a deep breath you started, “T-thanks for catching,” you stuttered out quietly. Clearing your throat you tried again, “I’m sure that wasn’t the way you expected to be greeted huh?” you questioned looking up through your lashes at the handsome man who eyes were trained on you.

He let out another little chuckle, bringing one of his large hand up to rub at the base of his neck. “No it wasn’t what I excepted at all, but your welcome…” he trailed off.

“Oh!” you nearly shouted coming to a stop and turning to fully face him, extending your hand out. “I’m _____” you said, giving your name with a smile, completely forgetting to introduce yourself earlier.

He gave a sweet smile, straight white teeth peeking from between his alluring lips, and placed his large, warm hand in yours. “It’s nice to meet you _____, I’m Terra.” He said, leaning down slightly so he was closer to your eye level.

Letting your mind drift a little, you realised that everything about Terra was a lot bigger than you, his hand practically dwarfing your own in his grip, with your eyes barely being able to see over his shoulders. For some reason that thought brought another blush to your cheeks as you quickly retracted your hand and began walking at a brisk pace back to the tower.

Turning back you called over your shoulder to Terra, “Come on, Master Yen Sid doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” You heard another small laugh from Terra, followed by his footsteps quickly gaining on you, which you attributed to his incredibly long legs. His stride slowed down a bit when he reached you, both of you walking side by side in amicable silence the last few steps before reaching the Mysterious Tower.

You made your way up the stairs and reached out to open one of the doors, when a large, tan hand beat you to it, opening it as Terra ushered you through with his other hand. Startled a bit at his act of chivalry, you paused for a moment, then quickly walked through the open door with a deep red blush staining your face and a mumbled thank you.

Terra stayed behind you as you both walked up the various staircases and down corridors, probably so he didn’t get lost, until you got to Master Yen Sid’s study. Checking over your shoulder to make sure you hadn’t lost Terra, you knocked once on the study door before opening it and striding in with your usual attitude.

You decided that until you had a moment alone, it was better to ignore these strange mood swings and body reactions that Terra evoked and act the way you usually would.

You heard Terra close the door behind you, but you were too busy focusing on Master Yen Sid, who was staring you down with a look of clear disapproval and displeasure that would make anyone else melt into the floor. You were used to it however, so you simply stood in front of his desk where you had been the other day and crossed your arms over your chest, narrowing your eyes slightly.

You felt Terra step forward and stop a few inches away from you, both waiting for Master Yen Sid’s instructions. Yen Sid gave a deep sigh, before waving his hands in front of his desk where he currently sat. In a puff of smoke, two chairs appeared opposite the Master right in front of where you and Terra stood.

“Sit. We have much to talk about” Master Yen Sid said, gesturing again for both you and Terra to take a seat in the recently apparated chairs. Uncrossing your arms with a huff, you moved around the chair and threw yourself into it with as much dramatic flair as possible. The Masters harsh glare and your unpredictable mood swings had put you in a particularly foul mood.

Terra took his seat a bit gentler than you did, sitting up straight as opposed to your lounged back posture. You could see why Master Yen Sid chose him; Terra was exactly what Yen Sid wanted you to be like, even down to his posture.

“Before me sits two very capable pupils,” Master Yen Sid started, “one of you has been trained in the art of Magic for many, many years, whilst the other has been taught in the ways of the Keyblade for just as long.” A long pause filled the air and you saw Terra lean forward slightly out of the corner of your eye.

“The reason you are both here is because of a great darkness I have sensed shifting through the various worlds.” Yen Sid gave a heavy sigh. “I do not know what this new darkness is, it is like nothing I have ever come across before, which is why I have need of you two.”

You sat up a bit straighter, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, whilst also showing your great interest in what the Master was saying. You were only aware of a few things, so the Master finally spilling all the details made you want to sit on the edge of your seat. Master Yen Sid closed his eyes as he continued speaking.

“To fully understand this new threat, we must gather as much information about it as possible. I believe that you two are our best means of gathering this information. So I task you both with a journey that may be dangerous and long.”

A final sigh left Master Yen Sid, clearly talking about this was a great weight on his shoulders. “You will both travel to various worlds throughout the star system and beyond, trying to seek out the darkness and learn all you can about it. Under normal circumstances I would never suggest for someone to seek out the darkness. But…” He paused, both you and Terra were now at the edge of your seats, desperate for more information.

“But it is necessary to protect the balance of light darkness.” He finished leaning back in his seat, his hands placed on the arm rests of his large chair. It appeared as if Master Yen Sid had aged 10 years in the few minutes we had been speaking, clearly the idea of sending two apprentices out into the world to find darkness did not sit well with the Master.

Terra leaned back in his seat a bit, still sat with perfect posture as he began to speak. “Master Yen Sid, do you know anything about this new darkness, anything that can help us locate it?” Terra’s rational question made you look at him in surprise. ‘How was he able to already be thinking about things like that?’ You were still shocked at the knowledge that darkness was growing in other worlds. Still, you admired him for his quick and rational thinking.

Master Yen Sid nodded, clearly impressed with Terra as much as you were. “From the limited knowledge I have of this new darkness,” Yen Sid began. “I know that it is attracted to negativity, but the darkness has not manifested itself yet, and has not interreacted with anything. This means your task may be harder than originally anticipated.”

The Master finished talking, rising from his seat behind his desk to go and stand by his windows, looking out at the sun now high in the sky. You too stood up and turned leaning your back against the desk, your eyes downcast in thought.

“Terra, how did you get to this world?” You asked, looking up to meet his eyes. You crossed your arms over your chest, the simple gesture making you feel more protected under Terra’s penetrating gaze.

“Well, I came here on my glider, using the lanes between,” Terra said, leaning back in his seat to be more comfortable. You only just noticed, but Terra made the seat look absolutely tiny with his long limbs stretched out.

The sight of Terra’s legs and toned arms made you mind short circuit for a second before you gave yourself a mental slap and finished your thought. “And I imagine that that mode of transportation is something only a Keyblade wielder can use?” You looked to Terra to see him nod. Your eyes then went to Master Yen Sid, who’s back was still facing you two. “So how am I supposed to travel to other worlds Master?”

You knew Master Yen Sid could sense your eyes on his back, but he still refused to turn around to meet your gaze. Instead he answered your question still looking at the scenery outside his study window. “A Keyblade wielder has their Keyblade armour to protect them from the darkness in the lanes between. I will give you something similar to protect you whilst you travel.”

Nodding your head at the Master’s answer, you couldn’t think of anything further to ask at the moment and from the looks of it, neither did Terra, who sat silently in his chair, his hand underneath his chin in deep thought.

The silence in the room stretched for a few moments; each person lost in their own thoughts. Your mind was racing between thoughts of the upcoming journey, and thoughts of Terra, which you pushed into the back of your brain for another time. As the minutes dragged on, Master Yen Sid’s sigh broke the silence, drawing yours and Terra’s attention to him.

“You both have a long and potentially dangerous journey ahead of you. Spend today getting to know each other and prepare for your departure tomorrow.” Master Yen Sid dismissed you both, making eye contact with you and Terra over his shoulder, but not moving from his position by the window.

You straightened yourself up from your leaning position against Yen Sid’s desk and started making your way towards the door, as you opened the door you heard Terra rise from his own seat and say “Thank you Master Yen Sid” before joining you out in the hallway, closing the study door behind him with a quiet click.

Now that you both were alone again, you suddenly became nervous, your eyes not meeting his as you both stood in silence. You shifted from foot to foot before sighing and beginning to walk away down the corridor.

Before you got too far you turned to find Terra still stood by the study’s door, his eyes downcast in thought. You paused, hands on your hips and leaned forward slightly to yell at Terra down the hallway. “Well come on then! I assume you don’t know your way around the Tower?” you said, a smile on your lips taking away from the bite in your tone.

Terra’s eyes shot up at your words before his face lit up in a blinding smile that could rival the suns bright afternoon rays outside. He took a few long strides and ended up in front of you, your head tilted back to meet his eyes. He leaned down slightly, much the same way he did when you introduced yourself, and said with a cheeky grin, “Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell im thirsty for Terra? xx  
> As always please comment and kudo as it motivates me to upload and please comment any spelling or grammar mistakes so i can fix them ASAP


	5. Cooking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keeping your thoughts and feeling in check might be more difficult than you thought

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, I had to re-write this chapter twice because it wasn’t going where I wanted it to. Also I’m always stuck between over describing things and trying to leave it up to the readers imagination. If you have any opinions on that please let me know! Xx
> 
> UPDATED 11/12/2019

Walking down the towers corridors hadn’t felt this nerve wracking since you had gotten lost that one time a few months after you started your magic apprenticeship. You still remember the absolute fear in your heart as you walked down what appeared to be the same corridors multiple times and turning around only to find dead ends where there had previously been doors. After a few hours of this Master Yen Sid found you crying on the floor, completely convinced you would never escape the towers labyrinth. Turns out Master Yen Sid had completely forgotten you were even in the tower and had been rearranging the rooms to find something he had forgotten.

You smiled a little at the memory, remembering all the times the tower had changed or moved over the years, sometimes leaving you stranded in a single room with no way out until Master Yen Sid found you, sometimes hours later. You had been under the Masters tutelage for over 10 years but only over the past few years had he become extra cautious about room rearrangement and structural changes. You imagine the only reason he even cared was because he was tired of you yelling at him every time he moved where your bedroom was.

“So how long have you been studying magic?”

Terra’s voice made you whip your head up to meet his eyes, strands of your hair flying around your face and getting caught in your mouth from where they had fallen out of your messy ponytail. He was looking around the hallway you were currently walking down rather than looking at you, his eyes taking in the various paintings and statues scattered along the halls and walls.

“My whole life” you said, turning your eyes back to the front of you and turning down another identical corridor. “I was brought to the Mysterious Tower when I was 5, and as soon as I learnt how to read, I was practising magic.” You finished, feeling Terra’s eyes on the side of your head.

“That’s really young…” Terra trailed off; his tone quiet as if not wanting to disturb the little bubble you two were in.

You looked up at Terra, tilting your head to the side a little, “Is it? When did you start learning how to wield the Keyblade?” You asked, trying to avoid him asking why you were so young when you started. You had only just met him after all, you didn’t want to go into your whole life story.

At your question Terra’s eyes lit up like stars, “Master Eraqus started training me with the Keyblade when I was 11, but I had been living at the Land of Departure a few years before that, so I was already doing physical training for a while.”

You hummed a bit in acknowledgment, “So what’s it like then, your home?” you asked, leading Terra down a more familiar path, slowly but surely making your way to your destination. Terra began avidly describing the Land of Departure to you, the large castle where he lived and trained, his Master and two fellow Keyblade apprentices Ventus and Aqua. The way he described it made it sound like they were a happy family.

It all sounded amazing to you, making you a little jealous that he had grown up in such a beautiful place surrounded by amazing people. The feeling didn’t stay long though, rather replaced with a small fluttering in your stomach and a sense of light-headedness as you watched Terra describe the day that he had first summoned his Keyblade. The way his smile made his whole face light up had you wanting to smile back, before quickly casting your eyes back forward, making note that you two had made it to the right hallway.

As Terra finished his story, you came to a stop outside one of the four doors in the hallway before turning on your heel and facing him.

“This is where you will be spending the most time for your short stay here,” you stated indicating to the door next to you. “This is the spare bedroom; Master Yen Sid must have made it sometime last night. Across the hall is the bathroom, and next to it is the shower room.” You pointed to each room respectively as you talked, avoiding eye contact with Terra.

Walking a few steps further down the hallway until you were in front of the last door, you stayed with your back to Terra before mumbling out “This is my room, if you get lost or anything just knock.” You face was bright red, for some reason the thought of Terra and your bedroom made your whole body hot and bothered.

Clearing your throat you took a deep breath before turning again to face Terra, who had the same cheeky smile on his face from that morning. Scowling a bit at your own odd reactions, you pointed down the hall behind you. “If you keep walking down that way, you’ll get to the kitchen, and then the dining room. Feel free to take any food you want.” You said, before quickly opening your bedroom door and slamming it shut behind you.

Listening closely, you heard the spare bedroom door open and close a lot quieter than yours did, making you give a small sigh of relief. Walking over to your bed, you sat heavily on the edge, your head in your hands as you thought about this morning.

Your heart wouldn’t stop racing as you recalled being in Terra’s arms, his face unbearably close to your own. He had caught you from falling with no effort and held you in his arms with no visible strain. The thought of his strength and how he could use it made a deep red blush rush up to your cheeks and the tips of your ears.

Groaning, you threw yourself backwards onto the bed, sprawling yourself out and closing your eyes with a huff. If you couldn’t handle being around him for few minutes at a time, how were you going to manage spending days, possibly weeks alone with him for the mission.

All of these new reactions and feelings were confusing, leaving you completely helpless around Terra, with no idea how to act around him. He certainly wasn’t helping the situation either, his cheeky smiles and endearing laughs whenever you would flush in embarrassment only made your reactions worse.

You knew he didn’t intend it to come off as spiteful or teasing, even after only knowing him for a few hours. Your first impression of Terra, after him being unbelievably handsome, was that he had a kind and strong heart. This only meant that your responses to his gentle teasing were even more embarrassing.

Even now, your thoughts were plagued with scenarios and possibilities that would never come to pass over the next few weeks. Some as innocent as seeing him smile for you and his large hand encompassing your own, but others were far less pure and caused your body to react and clench, your legs quickly crossing over each other in embarrassment.

Pushing yourself up into a sitting position again, you decided that you were going to leave such thoughts behind you. This mission was your chance to prove yourself to Master Yen Sid and show that you were capable of going to other worlds without being looked after. You weren’t going to let some foolish feelings get in your way.

Besides, Terra had been nothing but kind to you since you had met and to think about him in such a way almost felt disrespectful. He would most likely find your wayward thoughts disgusting, no doubt telling Yen Sid about your unprofessionalism.

Not willing to risk it, you locked those thoughts and feeling away into a small corner of your mind, vowing that the next time you saw Terra you would act as normal as possible. After coming to this conclusion, you were startled by your stomach, as it gave a loud rumble in your otherwise quiet bedroom.

Remembering that you had skipped breakfast this morning, you got up from your comfy bed and made your way out of your room, making sure to quietly close the door so as not to disturb Terra. You would rather have some time to yourself before seeing him again.

Walking down the corridors, you quickly found yourself in the kitchen, pulling out various ingredients to make yourself some early dinner, vowing to go to sleep early tonight. Putting a small frying pan on the hob, you put some oil in and watched it simmer for a moment, before cutting up some fish and placing it in the pan.

Leaving the fish to cook, making a mental note to turn it over in a few minutes, you began to chop up some vegetables and place them into a metal steamer basket. After all the vegetables were ready, you placed the metal steamer basket over a pot of water and then put the pot next to the frying pan on the hob.

Leaving the vegetables to steam, you quickly flipped the fish onto the other side to cook and began cleaning up the little mess you had made whilst cooking, placing everything into the sink to soak. After that everything was cleaned up or in the soapy sink, the vegetables were perfectly steamed, and the fish was cooked to perfection.

Turning off the hobs, you grabbed two plates from one of the various cupboards in the kitchen and served up the food. You left one plate on the kitchen counter as usually and began walking towards the door leading to the dining room. Before you reached the door however, you heard movement behind you, and turned to find Terra walking into the kitchen, looking around in awe at the various appliances and ingredients that were strung up around the room.

Before you could speak, Terra’s attention turned to you with a small smile. “This kitchen is amazing, the one we have in the castle isn’t nearly as impressive.” He said, stepping forward a little so he wasn’t just hovering in the doorway.

You were still stunned a bit, so unused to other people being in the kitchen, a place you considered to be your safe haven, that you couldn’t respond. Terra didn’t seem to mind though, instead walking over to stand in front of the plate of food you had just prepared and left on the counter.

“This looks delicious! Who’s it for?” He asked, turning a little to look over his shoulder at you. Telling Terra that you had made a plate of food for a man who doesn’t eat, and had been making them for many years now, didn’t seem like an option. So, you swallowed the lump in your throat before responding, “It’s for you.”

Terra suddenly looked shocked, so you turned your back to him before continuing, “I assumed you hadn’t eaten anything since this morning, and since I was already making food for myself, I thought I should make some for you. But you don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to I would underst- “

Your rambling was interrupted by Terra’s laughter, quickly turning to find him holding his large hand over his mouth, no doubt trying to hide his little chuckles. Your face flushed again, and you became flustered, not only from the stupid amount of blushing you had done today, but also from Terra’s reaction.

You turned away again saying, “You don’t have to eat it, I just wanted to be nice.” Before storming out of the kitchen and into the dining room, clutching your plate of food in a tight grip. Before you could take any further steps, you heard Terra calling your name behind you.

“Please wait I didn’t mean to laugh.” You heard before feeling his hand wrap around your arm gently, turning you around to face him, your food still held tightly in your hands between you. “I was just a little surprised, It’s sweet really. I just didn’t expect you to cook me anything after the way I’ve been acting since I got here…”

Terra wasn’t looking at you, his eyes downcast with a small frown on his lips, his hand still wrapped gently around your upper arm. You were stunned, this sudden change in attitude had left you floundering on what to say.

“W-what do you mean, the way you’ve been a-acting?” you asked, your voice cracking and stuttering as the warm pressure around your arm became almost impossible to ignore.

Terra sighed before lifting his eyes to meet yours, “I’ve been making you feel uncomfortable in your own home. Master Yen Sid told me that you wanted to go on this mission alone and you were angry that I would be going with you. So when you fell out of the sky, I wanted to try and be as nice as possible to make you like me, but everything I’m doing is just making you uncomfortable.”

Your eyes were wide, your mouth slightly open as you tried to process what Terra had just told you. So Master Yen Sid had told Terra that I would be angry at him, so Terra was trying his hardest to make me like him? That must have been what Master Yen Sid was talking to Terra about whilst you were flying above them.

“T-Terra I…” you suddenly pulled back from him, making him release the hand he still had around your arm, letting it fall to his side as you begun walking away. Quickly walking over to the long dining room table in the centre of the room, you placed your plate of food down with more force than was probably necessary.

Striding back over to Terra, who was standing completely still, his head hung down in what you could only describe as the look of a kicked puppy, you reached out and grabbed his forearm. His head quickly whipped up to make eye contact with you, his eyes looking so sad that you decided right there that you would do anything to never see that look on his face again.

“I was never mad at you Terra; I was angry at Master Yen Sid for not trusting me enough.” You sighed a bit before looking away and continuing. “This mission is going to be my first time to another world, and I have been trying to prove to Yen Sid for years that I am more than capable of going out on my own. I thought that he had finally listened to me when he told me about this mission but turns out he still doesn’t trust me.”

You looked back to Terra, whose arm you were still clutching tightly, getting lost in his eyes for a moment. You cleared your throat a little and started speaking again, “You don’t make me feel uncomfortable Terra, I just haven’t been around anyone except Master Yen Sid in a very, very long time. I don’t really know how to act around you, so I’m sorry if I made you feel like I was angry, or I didn’t want you around.”

You chuckled a bit and made sure to keep eye contact as you finished your little speech. “To be honest with you, I was worried about making you uncomfortable.” After your little rant, you gave Terra’s arm one more squeeze before releasing it and clutching your arms around your midsection, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and insecure after spilling your thoughts to him.

Looking up through your lashes you saw that the once sad look on Terra’s face had been replaced by his radiant smile again, making your stomach flutter slightly as he looked down at you. He too let out a small chuckle before speaking, “well it looks like we both got the wrong end of the stick.”

You joined in his laughter, letting this new feeling of happiness and peace wash over you, simply happy to be sharing this moment with someone after spending such a long time alone. After your laughter died down, you spoke in a quiet voice, trying not to disturb the sense of calmness in the room.

“Well, I know that my plate Is probably cold, and I can only assume yours is too,” you started, walking over to the table to retrieve your now cold food. Walking back over to the door that led to the kitchen, you turned a little to address Terra, “come on, I’ll heat it up for us,” before continuing into the kitchen through the door.

Hearing Terra walk through the door behind you, you smiled a little, placing your plate of food next the other one on the kitchen counter. As he came to stand beside you, you raised your hand until it was level with the plates on the counter, letting out a short breath, before you snapped your fingers.

You both watched as the food that had once been cold suddenly began to heat up, a small trail of steam slowly rising from the plates. The application of fire magic in this way was tricky, usually resulting in burning or exploding the food, but over time you had perfected the technique, often using it to quickly cook something if you were in a rush.

After a few seconds of waiting, you lowered your hand before reaching out and testing the temperature of the plates. Finding that they weren’t too hot, you picked up Terra’s plate before turning and handing it to him. He gave a small smile and a quiet thank you, before you turned back and picked up your own plate, walking back over to the dining room door.

As you walked up the long dining table, you decided that you weren’t going to sit in your usually spot at the head of the table, instead you were going to sit slightly to the right of it. Walking around the head seat and putting your plate down, you motioned for Terra to do the same in the seat opposite you.

As Terra put his plate down, you both took your respective seats in silence before digging into your meals. Although the room was silent, only broken by the sounds of cutlery clanking together and rhythmic chewing noises, it didn’t feel awkward. Rather the silence let you gather your thoughts and digest all the new information Terra had told you.

You couldn’t believe that Master Yen Sid would undermine you like that, telling Terra that you would be angry with him no matter what. You thought that there had to be a reason for his decision, that maybe it was a test of sorts, to see if you would be accommodating and pleasant to a stranger. But you concluded that it was probably just the Master being oblivious to where your anger really lied.

It was true that you had been angry before, but that anger was never directed at the Keyblade wielder, rather at Yen Sid for not trusting you. This new development left a bitter taste in your mouth, making you question the Master. Over the years he had become more and more reclusive, going weeks or even months without seeing each other in the tower.

Maybe he wasn’t the man you thought he was? You had always seen him as a teacher and sometimes even a father figure when you were younger, but over time that had shifted. Instead of a teacher, Master Yen Sid acted more like a gatekeeper, locking you away in the Mysterious Tower and never letting you leave, even barring you from learning magic he deemed too dangerous. You didn’t realize how much you had come to resent him for his decisions until now.

As you finished off the last bites of your food, you came to a startling realisation. Despite Master Yen Sid taking care of you and practically raising you, you really didn’t know the man at all, and he never shared a bond with you, despite how desperately you wanted him to as a child. Despite only knowing Terra for a day, you felt more of a connection between you two than you ever had between you and your Master.

At the thought of him, you looked up to find Terra already looking at you, having finished all the food on his plate long before you did. He smiled lightly before speaking, “sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you, you looked deep in thought.”

“N-no not really…” you stuttered out, cursing yourself for your inability to look into Terra’s beautiful eyes without falling apart. You cleared your throat, shuffling a bit in your seat, still painfully aware of Terra’s gaze boring a hole into you. Meeting his eyes again for a split second, he took that as his opportunity to speak.

“The food was amazing, thank you. I don’t think I’ve ever had something so delicious before!” he said, his sincerity clear as his adorable smile stretched his cheeks, revealing two small dimples on either side. Your blush was probably the same colour as the ‘X’ on Terra’s chest, the heat spreading from your cheeks all the way up to the tips of your ears.

“You’re welcome.” You muttered out, your embarrassment at his praise clear as day. “What do you usually eat then, if you don’t mind my asking?” you continued, leaning forward slightly across the table to give Terra your undivided attention.

Terra surprised you by leaning forward as well, a hand coming up to scratch at his cheek a bit whilst the other rested on the table. Him leaning forwards however wasn’t the thing to surprise you, rather the light dusting of pink that now covered his cheeks. Terra was blushing, and it was the cutest thing you had ever seen.

“We usually eat rather plain food, Master Eraqus wants us to all be as healthy as possible, so indulging in food like this doesn’t really happen. That being said, Ven often manages to sneak some sort of sweet snack as a desert.” Terra finished with a chuckle, his hand still absentmindedly scratching at his cheek.

Laughing a little at the mental image of a powerful Keyblade wielder trying to sneak some ice-cream for dessert, you stood up and gathered your plate, deciding that you had spent enough time just sitting around. As you stood, Terra followed suit gathering his own plate and following you as you walked back into the kitchen. You dropped your plate in the sink with the rest of the dirty dishes, before gesturing to Terra to do the same.

He however stepped forward towards the sink, making you take a step back in response, leaving you to the side of the sink whilst he was in front of it. “You did all the cooking, only seems fair that I do the washing up.” He said, already dropping his plate into the sink and beginning to scrub at one of the pots. He looked over his shoulder to give you a blinding smile.

“I-I can’t let you do that, you’re our guest in the tower. Master Yen Sid would surely have my head if he heard I made you clean the dishes.” You stuttered, moving to try and take Terra’s spot in front of the sink. He ignored your attempts completely, taking advantage of his height and strong build to simply stand his ground, continuing to scrub at various pots and pans.

“Ok then, a compromise. I’ll clean the dishes, and you dry them and put them away. Sound fair?” Terra said, already extending you a clean plate to dry. Quickly grabbing the kitchen towel, you carefully took the wet plate from Terra’s hand before beginning to dry it.

You sighed quietly before speaking, “thank you. To be honest, I hate doing the washing up.” You laughed a little under your breath, looking up at Terra’s smile from under your lashes. After drying the plate you gently placed it back in the cupboard before taking another plate from Terra’s hand.

“It’s settled then,” Terra started, scrubbing at the chopping board in the sink. “From now on, you’ll do the cooking and I’ll doing the washing up. Deal?” He finished, completely unaware of the effect his words had on you. His words that would have meant very little to anyone else, meant the world to you.

Whether he knew it or not, Terra had just told you he was going to be sticking around and was going to help you with something you had always hated doing. He was offering you company, and after spending so much time alone, it made you feel very emotional.

Swallowing the lump in your throat you squeaked out a “deal” in response, averting your eyes to the pot you were currently drying. After a few minutes of cleaning and putting away the dishes, the sink was empty, and the cupboards were full again. You heaved a small sigh of relief before turning and facing Terra, who was already looking at you expectantly.

Choosing to ignore his look, you turned away and began walking towards the kitchen door, calling over your shoulder to him as you left. “If you don’t want to get lost on your way back to your room you better hurry up!” Your light tone took all the bite out of your words, along with the bright smile you wore on your face.

You heard Terra’s laughter followed by steps quickly gaining on you before you saw him walking beside you out of the corner of your eye. Your walk back was filled with a companionable silence as you both just enjoyed each other’s company, lost in your own thoughts.

Terra really was something else, he had managed to make you a complete mess and make you feel more in one day than you had in years. The prospect of going back to living in the tower practically alone after your mission was over made your heart lurch in your chest. Only one day and you couldn’t imagine living without Terra’s bright smile in your life.

Arriving back at your separate rooms, you turned to Terra and gave him a small smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” You said before turning and opening your door, but before you closed it you quietly muttered a quick “good night”, quickly closing the door behind you.

As you leaned your back against the door, you heard Terra laugh before saying “good night” followed by the sound of his own door opening and closing. Heaving a sigh, you quickly took of your shoes and stripped out of your clothes, putting on an oversized shirt to sleep in, before sitting on your bed.

Beginning your routine of brushing your hair out, you wondered about what new things you would get to see and experience over the coming mission. All the new worlds you would get to see, all the new sights and new people, it almost felt overwhelming and you were still in your bedroom. You also thought about your mission partner, and the promise you had made to yourself a few hours prior, to treat him like anyone else and not let your strange new feelings get in the way.

After you had finished brushing your hair, you tied it into a loose braid before crawling under the bedsheets and placing your head on your soft pillow. As you drifted off to sleep, images of Terra’s bright smile and beautiful eyes drifted in your mind.

_This is probably going to be a lot more difficult than I thought._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always please point out any spelling and grammar errors so I can fix them ASAP. thank you all so much for reading so far and I absolutely love reading your comments! xx


	6. Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New information always comes when you don't want it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of got away from me, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. BUT I’m gonna post it anyway hahaha  
> No Terra unfortunately, but I’m building up plot for later xx
> 
> UPDATED 11/12/2019

Your sleep was mercifully nightmare free that night, however that didn’t mean it was peaceful. Rather you found yourself waking up multiple times throughout the night, no doubt due to nerves and anxiety for your morning departure. But still, it meant that you were going to be exhausted and cranky tomorrow, which you desperately wanted to avoid.

Turning once again in your large bed, you looked out of your window to see the moon still high in the sky, meaning you still had a long wait till morning. You heaved a sigh, knowing that a good night’s sleep would elude you no matter what you did. Resigning yourself to no further sleep, you tentatively pulled back your bed sheets, leaving your bare legs exposed to the chilly night air.

Shuddering a bit, you stood from your bed and walked over to your dresser, pulling a pair of loose trousers out of drawer before quickly sliding them on. You thought that the best way to let your mind relax would be to take a walk around the tower. No doubt, losing yourself amongst the repetitive halls and corridors would bring your active mind some peace.

Slipping on a pair of flat shoes, you quietly pulled the door open, slipping out before you closed it gently behind you. Surely Terra was sleeping at this hour, and you didn’t really want to disturb him, even if it meant you could have someone to talk to.

Picking a random direction, you started walking through the hallways, not really taking in all the various pieces of art or historical artefacts that lined the walls and floor you had seen a hundred times before. Instead you let your mind go blank.

You never had problems sleeping before, now you had had a nightmare and insomnia two days apart from each other. You were sure it had something to do with the upcoming mission, but you couldn’t pinpoint what. The nightmare was a hazy memory, which would give you no further information, and your sudden insomnia could have been caused by any number of things.

Sighing quietly to yourself you looked up from the ground, where you had been watching your feet move along the rich red carpets, to see where you were. Surprisingly, you recognised the hallway you were in, somehow your subconscious taking you here without your intent.

You scrutinised the big, heavy wooden door, remembering how scary it used to be when you were smaller. Maybe it was never the door that you found scary, but rather the person behind the door. At the thought you heard movement behind the door before a stern voice carried through it.

“Enter.” It said, the tone clearly disapproving, and you could practically picture the stern look on his brows before you even opened the door. Walking into Master Yen Sid’s study like this made you feel like a young girl again, about to be scolded for skipping lessons with Fauna, Flora and Merryweather. You had to remind yourself that you were the one who was going to do the scolding.

Pushing the door open with as much confidence as you could muster, you strode into the room, letting the door close slowly behind you. Standing in front of Yen Sid’s desk with your arm crossed reminded you of a few days ago, the burst of anger you had back then seeming like a small candle flame compared to the sudden roaring rage you felt now.

Master Yen Sid was sat with his eyes closed, his face set into a calm mask, that you knew hid a far angrier disposition, if the subtle clenching and unclenching of his hands was any indication. You opened your mouth to begin speaking, but he cut you off.

“You should be resting.” The Master said, his tone leaving very little room for discussion. You, however, were in no mood to skirt around the real reason you were here. Taking another step forward, you placed both your hand on Yen Sid’s desk and leaned over slightly, staring him down as you spoke.

“Why would you tell Terra I would be mad at him?” That wasn’t the real question you wanted to ask, but you thought you would start with something easier to put into words.

Master Yen Sid slowly opened his eyes, meeting your defiant ones that practically burned with unanswered questions. He sighed heavily before closing his eyes once again, which made your blood boil. He clearly found your anger to be uninteresting and not worth his time to deal with.

“Was I wrong? You did not want someone to accompany you on the mission and expressed anger when I told you he would be joining you.” He scolded you as if he was talking to a young child, his tone making you feel small and stupid.

You leaned back from the desk, clenching your fists at your sides as you tried to stop yourself from yelling. “I was never mad about that, about having someone with me on the mission. I was angry because you didn’t trust me to do this mission on my own.”

You heaved a big sigh before continuing, the words you had desperately been trying to say spilling out. “You don’t trust me, and I just don’t understand why…” You trailed off, the fire once burning inside you now extinguished by your clouded and confusing emotions. “I’ve done everything you ever asked of me, ever since I was little. I followed all your rules and lessons to a ‘T’, but you slowly changed. You confiscated magic books, restricted my lessons, until I wasn’t learning anything new at all.”

The sudden lump in your throat made it hard to speak, but you persisted, determined to get out all the thoughts and feelings that had been plaguing you for months now, not knowing when you would be back at the tower again. “You even begun treating me differently, distancing yourself more than usual, until whole weeks would go past, and I wouldn’t see you. I just don’t understand, what did I do wrong?”

Despite trying to put on a tough front, you felt yourself slipping, beginning to drown in your self-doubt. All the months and years of being alone, and then to suddenly have Terra, who spoke to you and sat with you, like a normal person, had you feeling out of sorts and emotional.

Your fragile state wasn’t lost on Yen Sid, who gave a low hum before slowly standing from his desk. Instead of walking over to the window as you thought he would, the Master gracefully made his way around the desk until he was stood in front of you, towering over your small frame. He gently laid a hand on your shoulder, making you raise your eyes from where they had been staring at the floor.

“You may not remember, but when I first brought you to the tower, you were in a terrible state, completely unresponsive to anything I or the good fairies did.” He started, making your eyes widen slightly. Master Yen Sid never spoke about how you came to be at the tower, at least not in detail, so you eventually stopped asking. It seemed he was finally ready to shed some light on your hazy memories.

“After weeks of treating you, you were still completely numb to the world, leaving Fauna, Flora, Merryweather and myself to assume the worst.” Yen Sid took a few moments to collect himself, closing his eyes to avoid your imploring gaze. “One day, we were discussing where to take you so you could hopefully get better, when suddenly, you reached out and grabbed my sleeve. You were still silent, but you had a small spark in your eyes.”

A small smile pulled at the Masters lips as he looked into your eyes. “In that moment I knew you were a fighter, and you had a bright light inside you. The good fairies offered to take you and look after you, but I wanted you here, where I could train you and keep you safe from the world that had come so close to breaking you.”

You were shocked. Never in the many years of being under the same roof as him, had Master Yen Sid opened up to you in such a way. Your emotions that were once scattered were now completely in shambles, causing a burning sensation behind your eyes.

You tried to pull yourself together but were failing miserably, so much agony over the past few months, feeling like an outcast in your own home, feeling like a failure, all came tumbling down on you in an instant. You hid yourself behind a curtain of your hair, tilting your face towards the floor to avoid looking into Master Yen Sid’s eyes as he continued.

“You have proven your strength time and time again over the years of living and training here, always picking yourself back up and trying your hardest when you fail. I knew that in time you would grow curious about all the knowledge I was not teaching you, all the worlds you were not seeing and exploring for yourself, instead reading about them in the old page of books. I just hoped that your curiosity would fade over time…”

Yen Sid paused, the air around you both stifling as he withdrew the hand he still had on your shoulder and walked over to his usual spot, staring out the window into the great sky above the tower. “The darkness out there, in the other worlds, almost consumed you, leaving you a broken child for years, unable to communicate the hardships you had seen. At the time I thought it best to rid you of those traumatic memories, but I see now that it has only caused you further confusion and unrest.”

You jumped slightly, his flippant words leaving you dumbstruck for a moment before scrambling your thought together and speaking.

“You… you took my memories?” The words tasted bitter and wrong on your tongue, your eyes no longer shining with unshed tears, but rather with unanswered questions. Everything was beginning to make sense, and then Master Yen Sid had to further confuse you.

Yen Sid’s shoulders sagged slightly at your tone; the sound of betrayal clear in your voice. He turned slightly to look over his shoulder at you, frozen solid where you stood. When he spoke his voice was back to the way to always was, filled with little emotion and hollow sounding.

“It was best for you not to remember. For years you were silent, your eyes haunted by the sights you had seen but were unable to speak of, the good fairies and I had to make a decision. To erase your past and replace what we had to with better memories.” His words made the fire that you had come into his study with reignite once again, your words coming out with a harsh bite.

“So you just took my memories and never spoke about it to me?! Planting a fake past in my head?! Even after all these years you never once mentioned any of this! Why?! All these years I thought I was broken! Why keep all of this from me?!” You felt your emotions spiralling out of control, your thoughts twisting together and making you blind to reason.

You flung your arms out to the side, “Tell me!”

Master Yen Sid whirled around, his long robes billowing behind him as he stormed towards you. Not once had you seen him so angry, and in this moment, you truly feared him. He reached out and grabbed your upper arms, shaking you slightly as he spoke.

“To protect you from yourself!”

…

You were both breathing heavily, the tension in the room slowly bleeding out, leaving the air feeling stale and restrictive. Yen Sid’s hands were still tightly clenched around your biceps, leaving you rooted in place as he gathered his thoughts. His sudden outburst had made your emotions do a complete flip, the raging fire in your stomach now feeling like a led weight.

After a few moments, Master Yen Sid slowly drew back his hands, letting them hang at his sides. You were still frozen, unable to move even if you wanted to, the heavy, silent atmosphere leaving you feeling sick.

“Over the years, I have come to see you as my own daughter. Watching you grow and mature, learning new skills, it all made me so proud of you. But I could not get the image of your broken body out of my mind.”

Yen Sid took a few steps back, making the gap between you two feel like a bottomless chasm, before speaking again. “I wanted to protect you, not only from the darkness out in the other worlds, but also from the darkness inside yourself.”

Your head whipped up to look at the Master, but his eyes weren’t looking at you, rather off to the side in way that made him look completely foreign and strange, almost lost.

You guessed you had been in the study for maybe half an hour, but in that short time, Master Yen Sid had left you reeling with his outbursts and information.

Looking up to meet your eyes, you knew that he was once again building up walls around him, the glimmer of a real person with feelings now lost behind the mask of a composed and strict Master. “What you experienced caused a darkness to be seeded inside your heart. I had hoped that by removing your memories, that the darkness it caused would also leave you. But I was wrong…”

Yen Sid slowly walked over to his desk, sitting down in his tall chair before continuing, leaving you still standing off to the side in shock. “That darkness has stayed with you, even after all these years being apart from anything else. No matter what I did, I could always sense that sliver or darkness, waiting to grow and consume you.”

You couldn’t speak, slowly walking over to stand once again in front of Master Yen Sid’s desk, your whole body feeling tired and shell shocked.

“With time I sensed it growing, so I took measures to try and stop its progress. Removing books detailing the darkness of other worlds from the library, limiting your magical knowledge and skill so you wouldn’t succumb to the growing darkness inside of you. But I see now that all I have done is push you further into the unknown, further away from the light…”

Your legs suddenly lost all feeling, your body slowly sinking to the ground until you were sat in a crumpled heap in front of the Masters desk. All this time he had been hiding things from you, hiding knowledge, hiding power. But it was all to try and protect you.

Your eyes once again began to burn, but this time, the tears from before leaked over your lash line, leaving trails along your cheeks and down your neck. You didn’t understand, everything suddenly felt like too much, the pressure on your mind and body overwhelming you. You took a shaky breath, trying to steady your voice before speaking.

“T-there’s darkness in m-me?” you stuttered out, the words sounding wrong and dirty. All your life you had been taught that darkness was bad, and light was good, and now you were being told that there had been darkness in you all along.

“B-but I d-don’t want d-darkness in m-me.” Your simple words were becoming harder to speak and even harder to understand, the broken sobs breaking up your words. You just wanted to go out and see the various worlds, learn about them and help people, but now all that seemed impossible.

You heard the scraping sound of a chair against the floor and the swishing of Master Yen Sid’s robes as he stood up and walked around his desk to stand in front of your crumpled body. You couldn’t see anything past the blur of your tears, but you suddenly felt his hand on your shoulder once again, letting you cry all your tears out in silence.

After a few minutes of sobbing and heaving for breath, the tears eventually stopped, leaving you curled up and cold on the study floor. You were trying to remain coherent, to stay in the moment, but every fibre of your being was telling you to become numb and ignore everything you had just been told. To lock it all away in the back of your mind where you could forget and ignore it. But you knew that option wasn’t possible, not after what you’ve heard.

Yen Sid’s hand slowly tightened on your shoulder, almost to the point of pain before he spoke, breaking the depressing and smothering feeling in the room.

“You understand now why I have kept so much from you, why I have been sheltering you from the outside worlds. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you to the darkness, when I could have prevented it. That is why you are to be accompanied on this mission, so that I know you will be safe, even if you must be so close to the darkness.”

His words bounced around in your head, answering the questions you had come into the study with, but giving you so many more in the process. His actions over the past years now all made sense, and made you feel even worse for ever doubting him. You suddenly felt so much all at once, for the first time in a long time, seeing Yen Sid as a father figure, always watching out for you and trying to protect you.

“I-I’m sorry” you managed to get out, turning your eyes up to meet Yen Sid’s, who was looking down at you with a blank expression. He gently removed his hand from your shoulder, instead grasping your arm and helping you stand on your shaky legs.

When you were finally stable on your feet, Yen Sid walked back around his desk and took a heavy seat in his chair, his arms crossed tightly over this chest that made him look oddly defensive. As he stared you down, you slowly raised your own arms and crossed them over your stomach and grasping at your sides, holding yourself together.

Master Yen Sid sighed for the 100th time that day, “I did not want you to find out this way, or to find out at all, but it appears fate has pushed my hand.” Closing his eyes again, you felt like he was trying to forget anything ever happened, and in a way, you were too. “This is a conversation to be had at another time, you need rest for your mission tomorrow.”

You gasped, “Y-you’re still going to let me go?” Your words still weren’t steady after crying, but you pushed through, your voice coming out quiet but strong.

“I have no choice; the growing darkness out in the worlds is far too dangerous of a threat to be taken lightly. I knew that I would eventually have to let you out into the universe, but I had hoped it wouldn’t be so soon. Perhaps with your new knowledge, you will be more cautious about engaging with the darkness.” His words sounded more like an order than advice or a suggestion, but you still took it to heart.

You bowed for the first time in years before speaking, face hidden behind a curtain of hair. “Yes Master, I understand. Thank you.”

Yen Sid hummed again, “I’m sure you have many questions, but you must get some rest. We will discuss this matter when you return. I am trusting you with this mission, do not let me down” His words marked the end of the conversation, his eyes closing and leaving you feeling stranded out in the ocean.

He had told you he trusted you, and in that moment, that was all you wanted to hear.

Sighing quietly, you turned your back and walked over to the study door and opened it, but before you closed it, you spoke one final thought.

“You know, over the years I’ve never noticed, but I see you like a father figure.”

You closed the door so quickly that you didn’t see the small smile spread across Master Yen Sid’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes so I can correct them ASAP. Also please tell me how your liking the story so far, I’m sort of flipping between wanting it to be a really slow burn, or to jump into the romance and build that up instead xx


	7. Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New emotions often leave a person reeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter i decided that 'slow burn' is going to mean more 'two idiots pinning for each other without the other knowing' hahaha  
> The chapter took a bit longer to get out so sorry about that, hope you enjoy! xx
> 
> UPDATED 12/12/2019

The walk back to your room was a haze, the sound of your shoes hitting the floor and your shallow breaths the only sound in the lonely corridors. You felt drained, physically, mentally, emotionally, all of it. Your thoughts were like a train running off the tracks, spiralling out of control with no chance of stopping it.

Everything Master Yen Sid had just told you sat heavily in your mind, his words tormenting you with things you didn’t and couldn’t understand. None of it made sense, everything you had been taught and told growing up was suddenly ripped out from under you, leaving you free falling in confusion.

Your steps slowed down slightly, dragging along the carpeted floor as you twisted and turned down the hallways, avoiding your bedroom at all costs. You knew that even if you were to lay down in bed, you wouldn’t get any sleep.

Sighing quietly, you decided to take a walk throughout the tower to set your mind at ease, before trying to go back to sleep. As your shoes dragged down the various repeating corridors, your mind was stuck in a loop, thinking the same thought over and over again.

_‘You have darkness in you…’_

A shiver ran up your spine, the mere insinuation that you were the very thing you had been taught was evil, was a hard pill to swallow. And if you were being completely honest with yourself, you didn’t really believe it.

There was no way that all this time, you had darkness growing and festering inside you, ready to consume you at any moment, if you were to believe what Master Yen Sid had told you. It seemed like a dream, or rather a nightmare, that you couldn’t wake up from, the rhythmic sound of the creaking floorboards under your feet the only proof that you were awake.

Walking around was becoming more and more stifling, the hallways appearing to cage you in, the walls getting closer and closer until you couldn’t breathe. You picked up your pace, your leisurely walk steadily increasing until you were sprinting, desperately trying to find the door to the outside.

The sound of your breathing was becoming louder in your ears, almost deafening, until you ran past a familiar staircase. Screeching to a halt and back peddling, you jogged back to the staircase and quickly descended down the winding steps.

Colliding with the large double doors at the foot of the stairs, you fumbled with the doorknob for a second before throwing it open and racing down the outside steps. The sound of your shoes hitting ground was quickly replaced with the muted thud of the solid earth beneath you, making you slow down, until you came to a stop at the edge of the world.

You bent over, hands clutching your knees as you gasped for breath, the panic that was beginning to cloud your mind slowly fading away. Your hair fell around you in a curtain, temporarily blocking you from the outside world as you regained your breath.

As your breaths became shallower and more spread out, you slowly uncurled yourself, releasing your knees and straightening up on shaky legs. The impromptu sprint you had just done had cleared up your mind slightly, allowing your thoughts to untangle themselves.

With your mind now clearer, you looked around at your surroundings, finding yourself to be in the same spot you were this morning waiting for Terra to arrive. It all felt like so long ago now, only a few hours ago you knew who you were, you knew your purpose. Now it all seemed so foreign and confusing.

With your eyes downcast to the grassy ground, you shuffled your feet to the edge of the world and sat down heavily, your legs hanging off the side precariously. You probably looked as if you hadn’t moved since this morning, the only evidence of any change being your clothes and your haunted expression.

Your eyes were wide, unblinking as you compartmentalised your thoughts, shoving some of them into the deep recesses of your mind to be dealt with at a later date, like your false memories and where you came from. Others however pushed to the surface, like your thoughts about tomorrow.

With Master Yen Sid’s recent reveal, you couldn’t help but feel uncertain about tomorrow, going out into various other words to try and seek out darkness, the very darkness that Yen Sid claims is inside you. The more you thought about it, the more it didn’t make sense.

For years you had been learning magic, and not once had you felt anything like darkness stirring inside you, or rather how you had read darkness would feel. The good fairies and Master Yen Sid had both been cautious teaching you anything about darkness, like its powers or how it manifests, or even how to spot it.

You had thought it was because they didn’t want your attention to stray away from your studies and learning magic. Now you see it was them trying to shield you from anything that could act as a trigger to your internal darkness.

Over the years however, you had grown curious, taking books from parts of the tower you were forbidden to go, and sneaking into Yen Sid’s study to take back books he had confiscated after catching you reading them under your bedsheets at night.

You never learnt much, most of the things you read you didn’t understand, or you weren’t able to finish reading before you were caught. One of the few things that had stuck with you was an entry in a book that detailed one man’s decent into madness, constantly seeking out more power until darkness eventually consumed him.

A brisk gust of wind blew around you, lifting your hair up in a tornado and sending a shiver down your spine. The moon was high in the sky, casting a pale blue glow across the Mysterious Tower, before the light was swallowed up by the inky blackness of space.

You remembered the detailed descriptions of the man hurting everyone and anyone around him, until he was all alone. Even then, he sought out violence and opportunities to seize power from other, until his heart and mind began to shatter and succumb to the darkness.

The book said that nothing remained of the man, only the memories of his tyranny and pain he had caused everyone. The thought that you could fall to darkness, waste away until nothing remained but your anger and hate, terrified you.

You brought your legs up till they were cradled against your chest, resting your arms around them and leaning your head into your knees. Your heart was in shambles, nothing was making sense and you were completely lost and confused.

Tomorrow was slowly approaching, and you were no closer to calming yourself down, the turmoil in your soul was unbearable and you knew that if you didn’t sort yourself out, you weren’t going to survive. You felt the familiar burn behind your eyes and your arms tightened around your legs until they were aching, desperately trying to hold yourself together.

It took a moment for you to produce a solution, but as your eyes were gazing up at the stars, you heaved a deep sigh that shook you to your bones. You knew what you had to do, even if it was a short-term solution.

You had to forget.

Ignore what Master Yen Sid had told you, all of it, and go on with the mission and your life like usual. Until you could sit down and have a proper talk with him, you were going to completely forget everything Yen Sid had told you tonight.

It probably wasn’t the best decision, but you didn’t have the time or the patience to process and internalise your Masters words, so you weren’t left with much of a choice. Uncurling your arms from around your legs, you stretched out along the ground, reclining back until you were laying down, staring up at the brightly shinning stars in the sky.

Using a method you had read about in one of the books in the library, you started sorting through your thoughts with a purpose, shoving all the information you had just learned into a small box, locking it, and pushing it to the back of your mind. Your eyes gently closed, blocking out the night sky, in favour of the deep dive into your psyche.

It felt like hours were flying past, ripping apart thoughts and memories, shredding them down to nothing, and then leaving them to rot in the far corners of your brain. You felt queasy and ill doing it, but knew it was the best you could do at the moment if you wanted to get through the mission without breaking down.

Maybe half an hour later, your eyelids fluttered open to see the same familiar inky black sky, dusted in little diamond stars and a giant moon slowly travelling across it. The fresh night breeze helped to settle you, the ache at your temples proof of your internal struggles.

Easing yourself up until you were reclining on your forearms, your eyes drifted over your crumpled clothes, finding small grass stains and wrinkles scattered across them. Your loud groan of exhaustion could probably be heard from the Tower, no doubt Master Yen Sid was in exactly the same place you had left him.

It still looked like you would have a few hours of sleep if you went back now, the moon now sitting lower in the sky. Your mind was at ease for now, but you were sure when you returned, you would be sent into another spiral again.

The little comfort you got from the situation was that you were probably going to be away from the tower for a long time, at least a few weeks, so that meant you could avoid the topic for a long time. You were about to live your dream, to go out and see other worlds, and you weren’t about to let what Master Yen Sid had told you get in your way.

Shuffling your feet underneath you, you stood up on shaky legs, no doubt from sitting down in an uncomfortable position for too long. Turning in place you began the short walk back to the Mysterious Tower’s large front doors, the leisurely walk back to your room going past in a blur.

Finally arriving back at your room, you were about to go in when you heard the sound of a door opening a bit further down the hallway. Whipping your head to the side, you watched as Terra’s bedroom door creaked open before he took a few tentative steps out before leaning himself up against the wall facing you.

He cut an intimidating figure, but his posture was clearly trying to negate that, his head bowed slightly to be closer to your height, his arms crossed loosely over his chest and his feet crossed at the ankles. He was dressed in a white t-shirt, similar to the one he was wearing this morning, except it was a little looser and had shorter sleeves and a lower neckline, ending in a small V shape over his chest, revealing a little of his sharp collarbones.

His legs were covered in equally loose sleep pants, the light grey and black checked material showed you just how long his legs were, opposed to the trousers he had on previously. This new outfit had your mind wandering to dangerous territory.

Looking up, you saw that his hair was a bit ruffled, looking fluffier and making you desperate to run your hand through it and smooth it out. You felt like you had been starring at him for hours, but it was probably only a few seconds of silence before Terra’s deep, sleepy voice broke through your tired and distracted haze.

“Are you ok? I heard you leave your room a few hours ago I think…” Terra’s voice rumbled through your bones sending a small shiver up your spine. You bowed your head a bit to avoid his tired, half-lidded gaze. He looked so genuinely concerned for someone he had only just met, and it made your heart flutter inside your chest.

Clearing your throat you spoke in a whisper so as not to break the languid feeling in the hall. “Y-yeah I’m fine, I couldn’t sleep so I went to speak with Master Yen Sid.” You looked up through your lashes at him now, emphasising your next words. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you…”

Even though you were trying to be quiet, you must have made enough noise to disturb him. Honestly, you were surprised that he had heard you leaving your room compared to you running around the tower afterwards. You were sure that he had probably heard you slam the tower doors open, and you just hoped that he wouldn’t ask any questions about it.

Terra shrugged his shoulder slightly, his arms uncrossing as he put his hands into the front pockets of his sleep pants. “It’s ok, I wasn’t sleeping anyway.” You watched as he began fidgeting a bit, swaying slightly as he leaned against the wall with his shoulder.

He then chuckled a bit before speaking in a hushed whisper, “To tell you the truth, I’m not used to sleeping somewhere else. All the new sounds are making it a bit hard to relax.”

Your eyes widened slightly, for the first time, you were seeing that Terra was just as nervous about tomorrow’s mission as you were, his words hinting at his internal struggle. This morning he had seemed so calm and collected, but now you were seeing the cracks in the armour.

You hummed a bit to break the deafening silence, moving from your position in front of your door and taking a few steps closer until you were a couple of feet away from Terra. “Well I uhhhh, might be able to help with the noise…” you mumbled, scuffing your feet into the carpet to distract yourself from the small amount of heat you could feet radiating off of Terra in the cold hallway.

You practically felt Terra perk up, his entire presence seemed to brighten up the area around him like a small sun. “Really?” His voice was louder now, his meekness and tiredness practically gone in an instant. “Thank you!”

Terra had a bright beaming smile on his face, his eyes closed as his face scrunched up, revealing two very small dimples in both his cheeks .The blush that ran across your cheeks must have been fire truck red, all you could think about was how adorable he looked, and the way your stomach flipped knowing you had been the one to put that smile there.

Coughing into your fist to hide your bright face, you shuffled around Terra before walking through his still open bedroom door, mumbling out a quick “Don’t thank me yet” before he lost sight of you. You heard Terra scramble to follow you into the bedroom, stopping a few steps behind you as you took in the guest bedroom.

As it had only been materialised last night, you had never seen another bedroom in the tower apart from yours, so you quickly swept your eyes over every detail. It didn’t look too different from yours, minus the few trinkets and personal items you had scattered on various surfaces in your room.

The large double bed was covered in light blue sheets and pillows, slightly rumpled from where Terra had been resting. Apart from that, the room was barren and unlived in, but you supposed any guest room would feel like that, sometimes even your room felt like that too if you had tidied up.

“I ummm, I n-need to close the door…” The implication that you would be in a bedroom alone with Terra in the middle of the night, and would be charming the room to be soundproof, wasn’t lost on you. You must have been the only one feeling the tension in the air, as Terra seemed completely nonchalant about it.

“Ok sure” Terra turned and closed the door with a soft click behind you, “so what now?” His innocent question left you feeling worse than you already did. Your tumultuous feelings were making you unsteady on your feet, causing you to sway slightly in place as you turned to face him.

You couldn’t really see much of his face, the only light in the room from the small bedside light that illuminated the room in a soft yellow glow. It was a good thing you couldn’t though, as you were sure that if could see the same emotions that were unknowingly running rampant in Terra’s eyes, you would have frozen solid.

The sound of bare feet against the wooden floor filled the silence as Terra moved closer to you, coming to a stop a few steps away from you. The gentle sound shocked you out of a less than innocent fantasy involving the rumpled bedsheet out the corner of your eye, whipping your head up to meet Terra’s concerned eyes.

“S-sorry, I was lost in thought, what did you say?” The dark blush on your cheeks was hidden by the darkness in the room thankfully. You couldn’t imagine the shame if Terra found out what you were thinking about him, especially as he was a guest in your home, and you had only known him for less than 24 hours.

Terra didn’t seem to catch the mental lapse and repeated his question in a calm and patient tone, a complete contradiction to your racing heartbeat. You just needed to cast the spell then go, that’s all you had to do, then you could go back to your room.

With that motivation in mind, you squared your shoulders and walked over the now closed door, placing one of your palms flat against the surface before speaking to Terra over your shoulder. “Now I cast the spell, soundproof your room, then we both get some sleep.”

You decided not to say ‘in our separate rooms’ at the end of the sentence, knowing that it would draw unnecessarily attention to your wayward fantasies. Blocking out all the noise in the room, including Terra’s quiet breathes behind you, you concentrated on the door and walls of the bedroom.

A few seconds went by in silence before a small pulse effect came from your hand and spread across all the surfaces in the small room, before fading away as quickly as it had appeared. In truth, it shouldn’t have taken you that long, but you were having a hard time focusing.

You had learnt the spell a long time ago, and you hadn’t really had a need for it as the years went on, as the only other person in the tower was Master Yen Sid. Still, it wasn’t a particularly difficult spell and was easy to pull off, even with your mind distracted.

A small sigh left your lips as you lowered your hand and turned back around to face Terra, who hadn’t moved an inch, still standing in the centre of the room staring at you. The look he had on his face would have caused another deep blush to spread if you weren’t busy looking at your feet and focusing on getting back to your own room.

“Well that should do it, you won’t be able to hear anything outside the room now, I know the tower creaks quite a bit at night… so I should probably get back to my own room, big day tomorrow you know? Of course you know that, it’s a big day for you too obviously, but I uhhh, I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Your words came out in a one long, rushed breath, jumbled together until you were sure Terra hadn’t understood a single word you had said.

You were stuck in place, your feet uncooperative as your heat beat wildly out of control, your embarrassment a thick cloud in the air. Why did everything feel a thousand times harder when Terra was around? Even breathing became impossible when he looked at you with his beautiful eyes, his chocolate coloured hair occasionally falling to obscure his vision.

As your mind spiralled further and further down the rabbit hole, you didn’t notice Terra taking slow, calculated steps towards you, until you could practically feel his breath ruffling your hair around your face.

Still, you only jolted and met his eyes when you felt his large hand settle onto your shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. Your breath practically stopped when you looked up, seeing Terra so close had your heart beating so loud, you were sure he could hear it in the silence of the room.

This close you could take in all the little details you hadn’t seen before, like the small spattering of faint freckles across his straight nose, or the hints of green in his deep blue eyes. You saw Terra’s perfect cupids bow lips open and his deep rumbling voice speak, but you didn’t absorb what he said, your mind feeling fuzzy being this close to him.

“I-I’m sorry, w-what did you say?” you stuttered out, your lips trembling a little as your eyes locked together.

“I asked if you were ok? You seem really out of it…” Terra looked so concerned that the heat that had been building inside you was instantly extinguished, replaced with shame and guilt. Your gaze broke away, staring off to the side before responding.

“S-sorry, I think I’m just nervous about tomorrow that’s all.” Despite trying to level your voice out, a small stutter still came through, leaving you feeling weak and small next to Terra’s large frame. You decide to lie a bit, knowing it was easier than trying to describe to him everything Master Yen Sid had just told you.

Tilting your head up, you realised that your eyes were barely level with his collarbones, not noticing before just how small you must have looked to him. For some reason, you didn’t feel like Terra was looking down on you, even though he had to lower his head a bit to meet your eyes.

Terra hummed in the back of his throat, the sounds low and soothing to your red tipped ears, your blush still slightly present. “There’s nothing to be worried about, Master Yen Sid told me everythi- “

“What?” All the blood drained from your face, no doubt matching the white shirt that Terra was wearing. Master Yen Sid wouldn’t have told Terra everything right? If Terra knew about what Master Yen Sid had just told you, you didn’t know what you would do. He continued speaking, clearly oblivious to your inner turmoil.

“Yeah, he said that you had never left the Mysterious Tower before, and you were probably going to be anxious and unsure about a lot of things to begin with. But that’s why I’m here, to help you.”

The instant relief you felt flood through your veins made you slightly lightheaded, Terra’s words had your mind spinning and your body sagging under his hand still on your shoulder. Pulling your mind back to the present, you looked up to Terra who was still a few inches away from you, his eyes showing nothing but understanding and comfort.

You let a small smile tug at your cheeks, taking a deep breath to slow your heartrate and level your voice. “Thank you, Terra. That make me feel a bit better.” You wanted to talk more but a yawn interrupted you, making your previously forgotten blush race back across your face in embarrassment.

Terra chuckled a bit at your expense, giving your shoulder a firmer squeeze than before, his hand warm and heavy. Then hesitating a moment, he released your shoulder, placing his hand in the middle of your back, leading you towards the door you hadn’t seen him open.

“I think that’s your que to go get some rest.” He said, his amusement clear in his voice. You were too busy focused on the nice heat from Terra’s large hand on your back to formulate a response before he opened the door and lead you down the hallway to your door.

He finally removed his hand, letting you release the breath you didn’t know you were holding and allowing your brain to start working again. He reached forward to open your door gently before taking a few steps backwards away from you.

Terra’s smile was so sweet and genuine that the disappointment you felt when he removed his hand from your back was quickly forgotten. His whole being just seemed to emanate light and a soothing calmness that made you gravitate to him.

“Thanks for helping with the room. Make sure to get some rest ok?” Terra’s voice was back to being quiet now you were in the halls. The sound barely reaching you even though you were only a few steps away.

“You’re welcome…” With your words Terra turned and was about to walk back into his own room before your voice made him pause in place.

“Oh and Terra?”

He turned to face you again, one of his eyebrows raised to show he was listening and waiting for you to continue. You turned to face your door, hiding your blushing face before mumbling quietly.

“Sleep well.” Quickly stepping into your bedroom and closing the door behind you, you didn’t see the sweet smile cross Terra’s face or the small chuckle and head shake as he walked into his own room to get some much-needed rest to prepare for tomorrow.

Stripping off your loose trousers as you went, you rushed to your bed and burrowed yourself under the covers, your bright red face the only thing peeking out from the mess of blankets. Your heart was racing a mile a minute, your body unaccustomed to the sudden influx of emotions.

As you thought about your conversation you realised that Terra had this uncanny ability to make you feel like you had known him forever, that you could trust him with everything that might be upsetting you. It made you want to tell him everything, to finally have someone to talk to and who could understand you.

You knew it was a stupid thought, but you couldn’t imagine going back to a life without having someone like that in it. Even though after the mission you would probably never see Terra again, you decided to savour every moment you could, to abandon your embarrassment and embrace these new emotions and feelings.

But that was easier said than done.

As sleep finally seeped into the corners of your mind you had one final startling thought before drifting off.

_‘I don’t want to go back to a life without Terra in it…’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I very briefly proofread this, so any errors please point them out so i can fix it please xx  
> Also please tell me what you're thinking so far about the story, it really helps me put out new chapters quicker to hear how everyone thinks this story is going to go


	8. Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Terra set out on your journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I got this chapter out quick! Now that we're getting into the story, things between reader and Terra are going to pick up!  
> Thanks for sticking with me as I laid the groundwork xx
> 
> UPDATED 12/12/2019

Despite only sleeping for a few hours you woke up feeling rested and relaxed, stretching out on your rumpled sheets with a quiet whine, feeling your body pop and contract before relaxing again. Maybe it had something to do with the talk you had with Terra last night, which definitely helped put your mind at ease and made you feel more confident about the mission today.

You shot up in bed, your hair flying around you in a messy curtain. Shit, the mission was today!

Scrambling out of your bed you stumbled around on your unsteady feet, quickly rushing over to your dresser, throwing your large sleep shirt off as you walked. Casting a look out your window you saw that the sun was just starting to make its way across the sky, meaning you hadn’t slept in as much as you feared.

Still, you knew that Master Yen Sid would chew you out if you showed up late and looking less than presentable. With that thought, you rummaged through your draws and pulled out your regular training gear, as you didn’t really own many other clothes.

Pulling on your short skin-tight shorts was more of a struggle than it should have been, making you trip over yourself in your rush to get ready. When they finally sat against your hips you pulled the loose, sheer skirt up your legs, positioning it so that the large slit that ran up the side left one of your legs completely exposed.

Mobility was important when fighting, but you wouldn’t let Terra see you in just your shorts, a deep blush rushing over your face at the look you were imagining on his face. The gauzy skirt still left little to the imagination, showing your long legs under the faintly coloured material, but you knew you couldn’t effectively fight with restrictive clothing.

Ignoring the hot flush that travelled over your skin at your wayward fantasies, you slipped on your loose shirt, buttoning it up to the centre of your chest and tucking it messily into the waist band of your skirt. Shuffling it around so the gap in the front of the shirt didn’t reveal too much when you bent over, you rushed over to your bedside table and retrieved your faithful hairbrush.

Settling yourself onto the messy sheet, you began running the brush through your matted hair, working out all the little knots and snags. You wondered if you should make the bed before you left but knowing you were running out of time as it was, you decided to just change the sheets when you got back.

After you brushed out your long hair, you began plaiting it in a long braid down your back starting at the base of your skull. It was loose enough that it wouldn’t pull at your scalp, but tight enough that it would hopefully keep any wayward strands out of your face.

As you were finishing your hair you hastily got up, shuffling your feet into your shoes by the door whilst trying to keep your balance. Standing by the door, you took one final look around your room, wondering if you had forgotten anything before you left for who knows how long.

Humming in the back of your throat, you finally tied the ends of your hair off, placing a few more ties around your wrist in case the one in your hair broke. There was nothing else to do now but see Master Yen Sid, hopefully he would give you everything he thought you would need before sending you out into the unknown.

Only a few days ago you would have been ecstatic about leaving the Mysterious Tower and going to see other worlds, but now it felt a lot more complicated. That talk with Master Yen Sid last night had really messed you up.

Closing your eyes with a final sigh, you turned and pushed open your bedroom door, stepping out into the corridor and closing it behind you with a gentle thud. Turning to look down the hallway, you wondered if Terra was already waiting with Master Yen Sid, or if he was still in his room.

Another faint blush appeared on your cheeks, wondering if Terra was still sleeping or maybe getting dressed into his skin-tight shirt, the one he wore the first time you met him. God, the lack of sleep must be really messing with your mental restraint.

Scurrying down the corridors you quickly made your way through the tower until you got to the door to Master Yen Sid’s study. As you were about to walk in, you heard quiet mumbling from inside, two voice talking to each other on the other side.

You paused, your hand raised to touch the handle, deciding if you should just walk in or if you should stay outside and listen to what they were saying. It only took a few seconds for you to realise that there was no point in waiting outside, anything that Master Yen Sid was talking about with Terra was surely about the mission, which meant he would tell you too.

Right?

Pushing on the handle, you strode into the room, ignoring the other two inhabitants that had suddenly gone quiet and walking over to the empty chair in the room. Only when you were sat down did you look up to Master Yen Sid sat behind his desk, his stern look clearly showing he wasn’t pleased with your late arrival. You crossed your arms over your chest, leaning back further into the seat before addressing the two people in the room.

“Sorry I’m late, what are we talking about?” Having Yen Sid in the room almost acted as a buffer between you and Terra, letting you go back to being yourself again, rather than the embarrassed, blushing mess that you were around Terra.

Speaking of Terra, you subtly look at him out of the corner of your eye, seeing that he was in the clothes he arrived in yesterday, sitting up straight in his chair, his arms rested casually on the arm rests. He looked every bit the composed Keyblade wielder he was expected to be, but you knew from your talk last night that he was just as nervous about the mission as you were.

You probably should have asked him why he was so anxious, but you were too wrapped up in your own thoughts last night to even think about it. Maybe when the two of you were travelling, you could find a time to ask him.

Yen Sid sighed heavily, more than used to your attitude and lateness, “We were discussing the details of your departure today, and further information about your task.” He leaned back into his tall chair, removing his arms from where they had been placed on the desk and resting them in his lap.

You waited a moment to see if Terra would weigh into the conversation, but seeing he was remaining silent, you spoke. “What sort of information?” You hoped your tone didn’t come off to accusatory, but based on the Masters expression, you can assume you failed at that.

You could feel the way Master Yen Sid was looking at you, gauging your reactions and words with a critical eye, no doubt trying to see how last night’s talk had affected you. You chose to ignore it, meeting his eyes with your usual defiant stare, silently hoping he would hurry up and tell you both what you needed to know.

It seemed he didn’t particularly care about your reaction, closing his eyes with a sigh and speaking, no doubt repeating what he had already told Terra before you arrived. Master Yen Sid told you that you would be travelling to multiple worlds but staying for no longer than 48 hours before moving on.

He said that it was to avoid any unnecessary risk and to keep you both on track to gather as much information as possible from various environments. You guessed it was to do with not wanting to engage the darkness directly, so staying a shorter time would draw less attention to yourselves.

The part that made you pause was when he told you, you would continue to travel to various worlds until you gathered enough data and information about the darkness that Master Yen Sid could use to work out how to destroy it. The lack of return date made you excited, as you could continue to see as many worlds as possible whilst you were away.

The prospect of being free, even if it was for a short time, had your mood instantly lifting thinking about all the new sights you would see. You had read about so many different worlds in your books, maybe you would get to see one in person?

You weren’t really sure what was going to happen when you returned to the Mysterious Tower, if you were going to be locked up and banned from leaving again. Or maybe you were going to be sent somewhere else to deal with your internal darkness, somewhere that no one else could find you.

You knew that the most likely outcome would be you returning and going back to normal, maybe with a more watchful eye from Master Yen Sid, but you doubted he would lock you inside a cage because of the supposed darkness inside you. He clearly expressed to you last night that he still cared for you, despite his strong opinions about the darkness that he sensed within you.

As your thoughts continued to wander, you were snapped out of it by a gentle nudge to your foot, snapping your head to the side to see Terra giving you a look that asked, ‘are you ok?’ Turning to look at Master Yen Sid you saw him watching you expectantly with a single eyebrow raised in question.

“S-sorry what did you say?” You avoided Terra’s concerned eyes as you focused on Yen Sid, watching him sigh deeply before repeating what he was saying.

“I said, you will be needing a better conduit for your magic than just your body. The same as a Keyblade wielder has their Key to channel their power, you will need something of equal strength.” Master Yen Sid stood up and walked over to one of the various cupboards in the study, reaching in to retrieve a long box that didn’t look like it could fit inside the tiny cabinet.

Striding back over to his desk, Yen Sid placed the long box on the table before taking a seat in his chair once again, his eyes boring into you.

“As you know, a Mage’s staff is only ever given to them when the Mage has completed their training and been deemed ready by their Master. However I believe I must make an exception.” He reached forward to open the long box, revealing a plain piece of thick wood, probably a bit longer than your forearm.

It didn’t look like anything special to anyone else, but to someone who had been magically trained, you could see it was pulsing with magic. The dark wood was perfect, with no unnecessary accessories and attachments to hinder your movements. You had been trained how to use a staff a long time ago, before Master Yen Sid became more cautious about your studies, both for fighting and for your magic.

The idea of having your own staff, even for a short period of time, made you giddy with excitement. You were about to reach out and grab it before you were startled by Yen Sid clearing his throat, a stern expression on his face. Pulling your hand back quickly to rest back on your chair, you gave a sheepish smile from beneath your eyelashes, your head tucked into your chest in embarrassment.

Master Yen Sid continues, “As I was saying, I must make an exception to that long tradition. The task is too dangerous to send you out without proper equipment. With that being said, this staff can be used as a physical weapon as well as a magic one. I trust you remember how to use it?”

You nodded your head sharply, remembering all the times you had smacked yourself around the back of your head training with the staff. A small smile stretched on your face, recalling the moment Master Yen Sid had shown you that the small staff could extend to triple its length and the shock you had felt that it could be used as more than a small wand. Pulling yourself back to the moment, you asked a question that had just popped into your mind.

“How are we to know when we’ve gathered enough information? And how are we gathering it? Are we supposed to write down everything we see or something?” You questioned, your tone clearly showing your displeasure at the latter thought.

“I was just explaining that to Terra before you arrived.” Master Yen Sid said, reaching over to the corner of his desk to retrieve two small metal bands that you hadn’t noticed walking in. He placed them lightly in the centre, next to the box containing your staff, the gentle clang of metal the only sound in the study.

“These will record all encounters you have with the darkness on your travels. It will gather information which I can access and analyse to better understand where this new power has come from.”

You reached forward and grabbed one off the desk before Master Yen Sid could open his mouth to stop you, bringing it close to your face to examine it. Apart from a small clasp used to attach the band to your wrist, it was rather plain, a simple grey metal with no etchings or markings on it. If you focused very closely, you could feel a faint hum of magic from the band, no doubt from the enchantment Yen Sid placed on it.

You saw Terra reach for his own after Master Yen Sid indicated to him with a wave of his hand, picking it up much more delicately than you had, examining it much the same way you were. You pulled your eyes away from watching the fascination on Terra’s face, instead focusing on clasping the metal around your wrist, finding it to be a perfect fit.

After it was secure, you turned your head back up to look at Master Yen Sid, who was scrutinising you with a dark look. You could only assume it was because you snatched the band of his desk without permission. Or maybe he was waiting to see if you had a negative reaction when you put on the band, like bursting into flames.

You snorted a laugh to yourself at the thought, drawing both Master Yen Sid’s and Terra’s attention to you, looking at you in curiosity. You mumbled out a small “sorry” before your attention was brought back to Yen Sid as he began speaking again.

“The journey ahead of you both is dangerous. We know nothing about this new darkness. We have not received any information about it being violent, but we know that its strength and power is growing. Anything is possible, so watch each other as well as your surroundings.”

It felt like Master Yen Sid was talking directly to you rather than both you and Terra, his words seeming more like a warning than advice. It set your teeth on edge and had you skin crawling at his words ‘anything is possible’, images of yours and Terra’s bodies bloody and broken surrounded by a looming darkness invading your mind.

You quickly brought yourself back to the present feeling Terra’s eyes boring into the side of your head, the images of darkness forgotten for now. Master Yen Sid stood from his desk, walking around to stand in front of your chair, his arms holding the staff out to you.

“I can do nothing more to prepare you. The bands will let you travel through the realms between without risk of the darkness around you.” Yen Sid looked over to Terra, “You of course have your Keyblade armour to protect you in the lanes between, but further protection whilst you are on world is advised.”

Extending the staff out to you, Master Yen Sid waited until you grasped it in your hand, feeling the magic surge in your body before pulling it back to rest in your lap before speaking again.

“Follow me, I will see you off.” He didn’t wait for a reply before walking out of his study, leaving you and Terra to quickly rise to your feet and follow after him. Tucking your staff into the band of your skirt at the base of your spine, you trailed a few steps behind Yen Sid, with Terra only a few steps ahead of you.

As you were coming to the end of the silent corridor, you saw Terra’s pace slow down until he was walking beside you, close enough to whisper without the risk of the Master hearing you.

“Sorry for going to Master Yen Sid without you. I was going to wake you this morning but wanted you to get some more sleep after last night.” Terra’s deep voice drifted to your ears, turning them pink at the tips.

“Don’t apologise. I overslept; it was my fault.” Your words were surer than they were last night, taking your own advice to just enjoy the time you had with him and away from the tower. “Besides, Master Yen Sid is used to my tardiness.”

Terra’s laugh was quiet and hushed, but no less beautiful, the sound rich and deep. The noise almost made you trip over your own feet as you both descended the final staircase to leave the tower. You realised that you would desperately need to get a reign in on your blushing if you were going to survive this mission without bursting every blood vessel in your face.

Master Yen Sid led the way down the outside stairs and to the edge of the world, not attempting to speak to either you or Terra as he waited for you to catch up. Coming to a stop in front of the Master, you both stood next to each other, shoulders squared waiting for Yen Sid’s parting words.

“Terra, I trust you know how to navigate the lanes between. The closest world is not far, simply travel until you see it on the horizon.” The Masters words didn’t make much sense to you, but you figured it was something you had to see to understand.

You saw Terra give a small bow out the corner of your eyes before straightening and uttering a quick “yes Master” before extending his hand out in front of him. In a flash a bright light, a huge Keyblade appeared in his hand.

You were momentarily shocked; the thing was probably as tall as you were! But Terra handled it with ease as he raised it to the sky, pointing at a single spot until a large portal appeared out of thin air.

This was all a lot to take in, especially when you saw Terra throw his Keyblade behind him, sending it flying into the air. Your mouth was open in awe as another bright flash of light appeared where the Keyblade had been thrown.

Out of the bright light came a large vehicle, clearly made from the Keyblade, based on the design and structure of it. It looked almost like a bike as it skidded to a halt before you and Terra, making you reel back in surprise.

You felt a familiar hand at the centre of your back as you stumbled backwards, catching you from falling. Looking up at Terra, he had a bright smile on his face, showing off his two small dimples and perfect teeth.

“It’s ok, I know what I’m doing.” He said with so much confidence that you instantly believed him. Taking a moment to make sure you were steady, Terra removed his hand before taking a step back, putting some distance between you two.

He then reached up to press his fist into part of his shoulder armour, a bright light similar to what had come from the Keyblade enveloping his whole body. Before you even had a moment to panic, the light was gone, leaving behind a large suit of armour.

It took you a moment to realise that this must be the Keyblade armour that Terra and Master Yen Sid were talking about. The metal showed some wear and tear, parts of it covered in scuffs that highlighted the strong body of the wearer.

That thought had you going into a spiral, quickly running your eyes up Terra’s long legs, further emphasised by the tight armour around his thick thighs. Trailing up higher, the armour had panels at the hips, drawing attention to the broadness of his shoulders underneath the conforming metal.

Finally, your gaze reached Terra’s helmet, the shape peculiar and angular, finishing with two sharp, flat spikes on either side of his head. The front of the armour came forward to act as a sort of visor, protruding from his face to almost personify the metal suit.

Taking all of him in had a hot flush travelling through your body, even though you couldn’t see his eyes, you could tell Terra was looking at you through the black screen. You didn’t understand how metal could fit so snuggly against a person’s body and still look durable, the armour practically acting as a second skin.

In his armour, Terra was even taller than before, towering over your small frame as he bent over slightly to be closer to your face. He extended a hand to you, palm upwards, with a small tilt to his head, practically beckoning you to come closer.

Even though he was wearing a helmet, Terra’s voice sounded as clear as ever, “Shall we?” His words were gentle, but still held a tone of amusement at your expense. Looking down at his extended hand, you slowly lifted your own and placed it delicately on the cool metal, watching as he curled his fingers around your own, engulfing your hand with his.

Terra turned you around a walked you the few steps closer to his Keyblade, squeezing your hand before throwing his leg over it and sitting down. The whole time he kept a tight hold on your hand, providing a small bit of comfort to your frazzled nerves.

Terra then tugged you lightly closer, beckoning you to get on the bike behind him. With a bit of reluctance, you sighed, throwing your own leg over the bike and settling yourself behind Terra, the lack of room making you press up against his back.

Before you could react, Terra had brought his other hand behind him to grab your own, leading your arms around his middle in a tight grip, patting them gently before letting go, making sure you wouldn’t move them.

“Hold on tight, the lanes between can be bumpy” Terra’s words helped to settle your rapidly beating heart, you were sure he could feel it even through the armour as you pressed your front against his back tightly. You knew he was just being courteous and helpful, but it didn’t stop the lewd scenarios you were imagining.

Leaning forward, Terra grabbed the handles, making the bike hum and rumble underneath you as it got ready to move. You tensed your body, all your muscles tight and clinging to Terra’s large frame, trying to get some stability on the Keyblade.

Suddenly you were off, racing around the ground for a moment, your heart leaping into your throat at the sudden speed. Then just as quickly as you had started, you stopped, the bike pausing then rearing up to stand vertically, causing you to cry out in shock and wrap your arms impossibly tighter around Terra. You even went as far as to hook your legs slightly around his own which were resting on the sides of the bike, to worried about falling off the crazy vehicle to think about how close you were pressing yourself into Terra.

 You felt more than heard his laughter and a rushed “hold on” before you were shooting straight into the sky, directly towards the still open portal in the sky. The rush of sudden wind around you two had you thankful you tied back your hair this morning.

Casting one final look over your shoulder at the rapidly retreating Mysterious Tower behind you, you thought you heard a whispered voice in your ear before your vision was enveloped by the darkness of the lanes between.

“May your heart be your guiding key…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All comments and kudos are really appreciated, and they help me get the chapters out ASAP! As always please point out any errors and I will correct them xx


	9. New Experiences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Terra go to a new world

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ugh, know I’ve been gone for a long time and I’m really sorry. I just sort of lost inspiration to write (even though I have the whole story mapped out) and I didn’t want to write something I wasn’t proud of.  
> Thank you so much for everyone who continued to leave comments and Kudos as it finally got me back into this story.  
> I HAVE gone back and re-written ALL the previous chapter, because there were a few mistakes and things I didn’t like.  
> And don't worry, I don’t plant to abandon it again anytime soon.

The lanes between were cold and dark, the only light provided was a soft glow emanating from the glider you were currently sat on, and true to Terra’s word, it was very bumpy. The constant and sudden jostling would have definitely thrown you off by now if you weren’t clinging to Terra like a spider monkey.

Your arms were wrapped snuggly around his middle, crossing in the front so your hands were resting on the cool metal of his sides. Your legs were also clutching onto Terra’s, stretching forward so your feet could hook around his shins and rest just in front of his own feet.

The heat from your face caused by the rapidly rising blush was only quelled by the cold feeling of Terra’s armour pressed to your cheeks, the whole front of your body pressed so tightly to his back, it’s a wonder that he couldn’t feel your heartbeats through the armour.

Another sudden jolt from the vehicle underneath you made you yelp slightly and squeeze your eyes shut, blocking out what little you could see of the lanes between past the broad expanse of Terra’s shoulders.

“It’s ok, we’ll be there soon”, you heard Terra call over his shoulder, taking his eyes off the vast nothingness around you to glance over his shoulder at you. Even though you couldn’t see his face through his helmet, you could sense he was giving you one of his million watt smiles.

“Do you even know where we’re going?” Your question was supposed to come of snarky, to try and hide the palatable fear you were certain Terra could see on your face. Instead it came out rushed and frazzled, drawing more attention to your growing discomfort.

Terra took one of his hands of the handlebars in front of him and placed it over your arms still firmly around his middle, giving them a tight squeeze through his metal gloves. The sensation of the cool metal had a shiver running down your spine, but not from the cold.

“Master Yen Sid gave me a good idea how to get there before you arrived this morning.” Terra chuckled slightly before continuing, making his back shake slightly against your front. “My understanding of the lanes between is that you just keep going in one direction until you find something. Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s not too far now.”

Terra’s words had your shoulders untensing slightly, dropping from where they had been previously pressed to your ears. Something about this place made you feel uneasy, like you were being smothered and surrounded by the inky blackness of space around you.

You wondered if this what people felt who were consumed by darkness, like they were suffocating and freezing at the same time. The thought made you shiver again in fear, the very real threat of endless darkness surrounding you both being once again pointed out by your overactive mind.

The breathing was beginning to shake as you tried to get a handle on yourself. How were you going to get through doing this again and again until you had enough information that Master Yen Sid called you back.

You couldn’t even imagine doing this without Terra, his strong and calming presence helped sooth your wracked nerves and settle your racing heart. The small pulses of magic you felt from the thin strip of metal around your wrist also helped to settle you down, knowing that Master Yen Sid wouldn’t have sent you out into the void of space without proper protection.

You suddenly felt a cold sensation on your leg, making you jump slightly and quickly turn your head to see Terra’s hand placed on your lower thigh, where the thin gauzy material had come away and was showing off your full leg. His hand gave a quick squeeze before he started talking.

“I can see the world now, hold on tight ok?” His words were almost completely muffled by the roaring flow of blood in your ears. No doubt your face and chest were bright red, only making the cold feeling of Terra’s hand still on your thigh even more stimulating.

Feeling the glider begin to speed up a little as we entered the worlds orbit, Terra clutched by thigh and used it to bring me even closer to his back, before giving it a firm squeeze and placing his hand back on the handlebars.

Your legs were now practically on top of his, almost wrapped around his waist with how high Terra had pulled your legs around him. Your arms were still clutching to his chest and were beginning to go dumb from the constantly tense muscles.

The dizzying sensation of all the blood rushing to your face would have surely made you fall over if you were standing up. Luckily for you, you didn’t have too much time to wallow in your perverse thoughts before the rushing feeling of wind whipping around your face brought you back to the present.

Looking slightly around Terra’s broad frame, you caught a peek of what looked like a large white castle, surrounded by a forest that looked like to stretched forever. Is this how big all the worlds will be? Seeing another world like this made you realise just how small the Mysterious Tower was.

Before you could get a look at anything else, Terra began to steer the vehicle down into a deserted part of the forest. The descent wasn’t nearly as fast as it was leaving the Mysterious Tower, which you were thankful for. You didn’t think you could handle another stomach turning speed race.

When the glider finally landed on the ground, Terra turned slightly to look over his shoulder at you, “you OK?” he said, slowly beginning the process of uncurling you from around him. Once you realised what he was doing, you quickly extracted yourself and stumbled off the glider before you could feel further embarrassment.

Just as you were about to speak to tell him you were fine, the world started spinning and you stumbled forward, trying to get your land legs back from being sat down on the keyblade for so long.

Just as you thought you were going to topple over, you felt Terra wind his arms around you tightly, holding you up as the world gradually stopped spinning. Maybe a few seconds went past, but it felt like hours as Terra held you, murmuring quietly under his breath that it was ok, and that he knew the first time on the glider can be disorientating.

When you could finally see straight, you brought your head up from where it had been resting on Terra’s chest to look him in the eyes, which were filled with worry and comfort. Your blush could have been used as a beacon to attract the darkness at this point, no doubt making you look like you had been sat in the sun for far too long.

“T-thanks,” you managed to stutter out, probably making yourself look even more foolish then you already did. “I uhhh feel better now… thank you…” Your awkwardness knows no bounds apparently.

Terra gave a dazzling smile down at you, his eyes crinkling up slightly, not seeming to realise that his arms were still firmly around you. Only after a few seconds had gone by did Terra finally let you go, leaving a gentle hand on your shoulder until he was absolutely sure you weren’t about to fall over.

Only when you took a few steps back did you realise that Terra’s armour was gone, as was his glider, leaving you two stood in the middle of the woods completely alone. He must have retracted them whilst you were disorientated.

You took a moment to take in your surroundings, completely missing the gentle smile that Terra was sending you. All you could see was trees stretching for miles and miles in all directions. You turned in a slow circle before your eyes rested back on Terra.

“Do you know where we are?” Your question probably wasn’t the most important thing you should be asking at the moment, as you should be focusing on the mission. But without a lot to go on, you had to try and gather the pieces of information you both knew and put together a plan.

Terra began looking around also, casting his eyes left and right before they settled back on you. “No idea, this is only the third world I’ve ever been to. Maybe we should have a look around?” Terra trailed off, starting to walk in a random direction, completely missing your shocked expression.

“Wait!” You called out, quickly stumbling after him and grabbing at his forearm when you were close enough. “What do you mean this is only your third world? Is this your first time going to other worlds too?” Your words came out in a rush, barely understandable, but Terra seemed to know what you were saying.

“Sure is! I don’t really count my home world, because I don’t remember anything about it, so the only worlds would be the Land of Departure, the Mysterious Tower, and here.” Terra hit you with another blinding smile over his shoulder as he continued to walk away.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You felt a little hurt that he hadn’t told you, but you had to remind yourself that you two had only known each other for 2 days. The deep connection you felt to Terra was probably only one way, and he only saw you as a magic apprentice to one of his Masters friends.

As your thoughts began to take a more depressing turn, you saw Terra stop walking and turn to face you fully, one of his hands coming up to scratch the back of his head, whilst the other was tucked into his front pockets. He let out a nervous chuckle before meeting your eyes.

“I uhhh… I guess I just saw how nervous you were about going to another world, and I figured that telling you that I didn’t have as much experience as you thought would only make you more worried.” Terra had a small apologetic smile on his lips as he paused what he was saying to gather his thoughts. “I’m sorry, I should have told you, I just wanted you to feel more comfortable.”

The anxiety you were feeling instantly melted away at Terra’s words, making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He just wanted you to feel better. He was so sweet! Before you had a chance to talk yourself out of it, you took a couple of big steps until you were stood almost toe to toe with Terra.

Looking up at him, he had dropped both of his arms back to his sides, so you reached out and grabbed both of his hands in yours. You were actively fighting the deep scarlet blush that wanted to stain your cheeks, but you focused more on showing your appreciation to Terra.

Squeezing both his hands in yours, you smiled up at him. “T-thank you… you were r-right, it did make me f-feel better.” You scolded yourself in your head for stuttering, looking away before you could watch the pretty blush spread across Terra’s sharp cheekbones.

With your eyes still downcast and to the side, you missed the way Terra swayed slightly towards you, his face coming closer and closer, before he stopped and pulled back. He gave your hands a gentle squeeze to draw your attention back to him.

“Anytime,” Terra whispered, trying not to break the little bubble of peace you two were in. His sweet smile shifted slightly to be like a smirk before he spoke again practically echoing the words you had said earlier. “So what now?”

You extracted your hands from Terra’s grip, taking a few steps back to clear your head, before you started pacing, talking aloud as you worked out a plan.

“Master Yen Sid told us that the darkness hadn’t manifested itself yet, but that it was attracted to negativity. So that means to locate the darkness, we have to locate a source of negativity.” You paused in your pacing turning to face Terra.

He stood with one of his arms crossed over his chest, with the other resting under his chin in a thoughtful pose. His gaze caught yours as you spoke, “Terra, what did you see of the world on the way in?”

Terra thought for a moment before responding, “a castle, this forest, and a little village not too far from here.” It seemed as soon as he finished speaking, his mind clicked with yours and you bother came to the same conclusion.

“The villagers! From what I’ve read, very few village folks are happy under a monarchy, they would be a perfect conduit for negativity and darkness.” Your words made Terra hum in agreement before he responded.

“Let’s just hope that this realm doesn’t have good rulers.” He began looking around before stopping and pointing in a direction. “The village was that way, if we start walking now, we should get there by midday.”

With a plan in place you smiled at Terra, already walking in the direction he pointed to before turning to look over your shoulder and call back to him. “Come on then, don’t want to get lost, do you?” Your words were very reminiscent of what you said to Terra in the Mysterious Tower, and the reaction he had was much the same as well.

He chuckled lightly before jogging slightly to walk alongside you, your arms occasionally brushing each other as you passed the time telling each other stories about your childhoods. You knew on your part; you were trying to distract yourself from thinking about what you would do if you did come across this darkness.

You knew one thing, and that was if it did manifest and become dangerous, you would protect Terra. Every word he spoke and smile he directed your way made his place in your heart more and more certain. He had managed to break down your walls and burrow his way into your mind without even trying.

Little did you know that Terra’s thoughts were very much in the same place yours were, making a vow to himself to protect you and look out for you for as long as you would let him. He understood that you were strong and powerful on your own, but he couldn’t stop the rapid beating of his heart when he thought about you getting hurt.

So while you both made a vow to yourself to protect the other, you talked about lighter and happier things, walking closer and closer to your destination. The more time passed, the more your excitement to see this new world overshadowed your fear and anxiety about the potential danger there.

Eventually the trees around you began to thin out, the ground becoming more even and worn down in some places, and noise started to travel on the wind to your ears. The quiet murmur of multiple voices and busy life became louder and louder as you picked up the pace.

Your slow walking sped up to a light jog and then to a full on sprint, completely oblivious to Terra calling your name behind you. The reality of the situation finally setting in the closer and closer you got to the village.

You were free.

Even if it was for a short time, you wanted to experience everything you could. Your shoes pounded on the dirt which soon turned to cobblestone streets and the quiet murmurs became loud talking and yelling.

You came to a skidding halt just before the gate of the village, your breath coming in short pants as your eyes tried to take in everything. The were vaguely aware of Terra running up to you and placing a hand on your shoulder, turning you slightly to look at him.

“Are you ok? What’s wrong? Why did you run off like that?” His questions fired off one after the other before you could even think about answering them. Only when he stopped did you look away from the bustling village only a few steps in front of you and turn to face Terra fully.

“There’s… so many people…” Your words were dripping with awe and wonder, your eyes wide and sparkling as a wide grin spread across your face. Terra took a moment to understand what you were really saying, but when he did, he returned your wide smile with one of his own.

Even though Terra hadn’t been to other worlds as well, people often came to the Land of Departure to speak to Master Eraqus or to deliver supplies, so your words took a moment to sink in. He realised that this was your first time away from the Mysterious Tower, and he knew he was going to make it as special as possible, if only to see that gorgeous smile on your face one more time.

Terra released your shoulder from his grip and took a few steps ahead of you before dipping into a low, overexaggerated bow, with one of his arms out towards to village. “After you.”

A small giggle burst from your lips, which you tried to stifle with your hand, at Terra’s actions. Your mind was thrown back to all the books you read about knights in shining armour and chivalry that was apparently long dead. When you looked at Terra, you had to disagree.

Taking a few steps forward, just past Terra into the village, you paused. You didn’t know where to go, or what to do from here. You began to feel uncertain and a little timid as you looked at the bustling street ahead of you.

Before you could think any further on it, you felt Terra take your hand and place it in the crook of his elbow, placing his own hand over the top so you wouldn’t move it. He looked down at you with a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, we can do this together.”

Such simple words that sent an arrow straight through your heart and had your face turning bright red. Knowing you couldn’t speak without stuttering you just gave a firm nod to Terra before you both crossed the threshold into the village.

With your hand firmly on Terra’s arm and him acting as your guide, you knew nothing would happen to you.

_Maybe this mission won’t be so bad after all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes so I can correct them ASAP.  
> Any comment or Kudo is greatly appreciated and will help keep me motivated xx


	10. A Rest Before Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Terra find an inn to stay in before looking for the new darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter i post before Christmas so take it as a present! :)  
> Please leave comments about what you think, it helps me write future parts better and quicker xx

From the outside, the village looked lively, bustling with people selling their wares on the street and children running and playing as their parents tried to have friendly conversations with passer-by’s. The sun was high in the sky and it appeared that a market was in full swing throughout most of the small town, making every walkway and passage crowded and claustrophobic.

The shouts from the vendors were deafening, all melding together into one collective noise that pierced your eardrums and had you shrinking slightly into Terra’s side as he continued to clutch your hand to the crook of his elbow. You realised just how quiet the Mysterious Tower was in comparison.

Terra was carefully leading you around, weaving you two in-between the groups and crowds that were surrounding certain stalls, making sure to keep a tight hold on you. You assumed it was to make sure you didn’t run off or get lost, but Terra was simply desperate to have you close to him and to feel your gentle hands on his arm.

You felt more than saw Terra lean down to speak in your ear over the sound of a man screaming at any pedestrian about his fresh produce, the feel of his breath against your neck had you stiffening more than the overwhelming atmosphere.

“We should find somewhere to set up camp while we’re here, like an inn. Do you see anything?” Terra’s words were loud, but compared to the noise around you two, it felt more like a quiet caress against your ear.

Instead of focusing on the way Terra had to bend over considerably to speak in your ear, or the way his slow breaths were moving the strands of hair that hung around your face, you cast your eyes around you, looking up slightly to see if any of the surrounding buildings had a sign to indicate it was an inn.

After a few seconds of turning slightly on the spot to look around, you saw a small building down one of the side alleys which had a swinging wooden sign attached to the side, boasting a ‘Homely Inn.’ The look of the building already contradicted its claims of five star, but you couldn’t see anywhere else, so you tapped Terra’s arm slightly and pointed to the building when his attention fell on you.

A big grin came over Terra’s face before he looked down at you, leaning down once again to speak in your ear, “great job! Let’s check it out,” before leading you both down the passage and towards the front door.

Just as you were about to step up to the door, you pulled Terra back slightly with your hand that was still linked with his arm, making him stop and turn to you with a puzzled expression.

“Everything ok?” He said, gently extracting his arm from your grasp before reaching out and holding your arms by your sides with a gentle grip. His eyes kept trying to meet yours, but you were staring back at the door behind you with a small grimace.

“Terra, these places require you to pay upfront right?” Your words trailed off a bit, your apprehension clear in your tone and the way your shoulders were tensed up around your ears.

“Yes…? I’m not sure I understand what’s wrong?” Terra’s words finally got you to look up and meet his eyes, which were swimming with confusion, his eyebrows furred slightly so a small crease appeared between them.

You sighed before continuing, “unless Master Yen Sid or your Master give you a pocket full of Munny before we left, I don’t see how we’re going to afford to stay anywhere.” You crossed your arms over your chest, making Terra remove his hands and place them back at his sides.

You were angry with yourself for overlooking something so simple before you left. Of course you would need Munny, how else were you and Terra going to sleep anywhere or eat anything? You huffed at yourself in silent fury, trying to think up a solution.

A quiet clearing of the throat had you looking away from the spot on the ground you were trying to burn with your eyes, and up towards Terra again, who now had a hand behind his neck and the other in his trouser pocket, looking sheepishly at you from beneath his ridiculously long eyelashes.

“Actually… Master Yen Sid might have given me some Munny before you arrived this morning…” Terra’s tone was clearly meant to placate any growing anger inside you, but all it did was make you more frustrated.

“Oh, I get it, Master Yen Sid doesn’t even trust me enough to let me know we have Munny? Is he afraid I’ll take it and run away with it?” You scoffed, not expecting Terra to answer you, your question was more to release pent up frustration than to seek answers, but he still tried to help you settle down.

“No! No, he must have just forgotten to tell you.” His words were kind as he placed his hands on your shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze before turning you slightly to look him in the eyes again. “I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it, of course the Master trusts you, you’re his apprentice! And he wouldn’t have sent you out here if he didn’t.”

You heart lurched inside your chest, Terra’s words doing more to settle your anxiety and anger than you thought possible. His blind faith in you made your shoulders sink and relax again, your eyes caught in the deep ocean blue of his stare.

After a few long seconds that felt like they were stretching into eternity, I leaned back slightly, completely unaware until now just how close Terra and I were standing, the tips of our shoes almost touching.

You coughed into your fist to try and hide the rapid blush that covered your cheeks and bridge of your nose, drawing back further until Terra’s hands dropped from your shoulders and hung at his sides again. As you turned quickly on your heels to make your way back to the inn, you missed the longing look in Terra’s eyes and the subtle clenching of his fists at the loss of your touch.

After settling down from the sudden heat that rushed through your body, you turned to look over your shoulder at Terra as you started walking back towards the inn, “Come on then, we should see if they have some spare rooms.”

You heard Terra quickly catch up to you by the time you made it to the inn’s door, reaching out to open it before you could and holding it open with a cheeky grin and a small bow at the waist. You laughed quietly and hid your smile and blush behind your hand as you stepped inside.

The inside of the inn looked just as rundown as the outside, the warm weather unable to break through the stone walls and semi-boarded up windows, leaving the reception room feeling cold and decrepit.

You and Terra exchanged a small glance before you took the lead and walked over to the only bit of furniture in the place that wasn’t falling apart, the reception desk. Standing in front of it, you placed your hands on the barely clean surface and leaned over slightly to see if you could see anything tucked under the desk.

Finding nothing you rung the small bell that was placed on the desk, watching as a thin layer of dust was disturbed and floated back down to rest on the bell and the desk with a faint look of disgust. Before you even considered purchasing rooms here, you were going to ask if there was anywhere else to stay in the village.

Of course you would have to be diplomatic about it, you didn’t want to insult someone who you’d never met and who could be useful later down the line when we tried to ask around town about any suspicious happenings.

The seconds ticked on and you were becoming more and more impatient, your finger beginning to tap against your crossed arms and your foot gently tapping on the creaky floorboards. Terra didn’t seem to mind, taking the time to walk around the small reception area and looking at all the pictures and trinkets on the walls and shelves.

You huffed again, reaching across the desk to slam the small metal bell three times before a loud banging upstairs made you lurch back and place your hands over your staff, still tucked into the small of your back.

Terra had also taken a step forward, coming to stand in front of you with one hand placed protectively in front of you, the other down by his side, clenching an unclenching into a fist as he waited to see what had made the noise.

A loud grumbling could be heard slowly coming closer and closer, as it reached the small flight of stairs to the right of the reception desk, a man slowly stumbling down the stairs in what appeared to nightclothes stained in various places with what you could only assume was alcohol, going by the state of the man himself.

He was maybe 50 years old, with short grey hair that was balding at the crown and thinning everywhere else. He was a heavy set man, no doubt from the copious amount of alcohol he had drunk over the years, which would have also caused the heavy stain of red that persisted on his face.

As you were observing him, he eventually stumbled forward and sat himself down heavily in the rickety chair behind the desk, looking up at you two with bleary and unfocused eyes. You slowly stepped around Terra’s arm, which was still protectively held out in front of you, giving him a small eyebrow raise as you stepped closer to the desk.

Before you could get a word out the man spoke, “12,000 Munny for the night, any damage or extra cleanin’ you make me do will cost ya extra.” His voice was gruff and loud, booming in the small room and startling you slightly.

You narrowed your eyes at the man, your patience growing thinner and thinner with every unsteady breath he took. You scoffed before replying, “I believe we’re going to take our patronage elsewhere, thank you very much.” As you turned to walk out the musty room, the man called out after you.

“I wouldn’t bother girly, I’m the only inn in town, especially for the likes of you.” His leering grin and smug face made you want to punch him, but a large hand placed on your back made you hesitate.

The look Terra was giving you was clearly meant to help calm you down, and it did help slightly, before you took a calming breath and turned back to the repulsive man at the desk who was still looking at you like you were an item up for sale.

With your back now tuned to Terra, you didn’t see the hard glare he sent to the inn keeper, all the light and happiness you loved to see on his face extinguished in an instant. His harsh glare and intimidating figure made the man gulp loudly and stop his perverse gaze, but Terra didn’t relent, keeping a close eye on the man and you to make sure he wouldn’t make you feel uncomfortable again.

You stepped up to the desk again, crossing your arms tightly over your chest in an unconscious move to hide yourself from the man. “What do you mean ‘for the likes of us’?”

“Out of towners, people who don’t belong here. We don’t get too many of you anymore, but I was always able to tell when any of you showed up.” You were sure his words were meant to come across as threatening, but you were too busy focusing on one part of the sentence.

“So you used to get a lot of people who weren’t from here passing through?” Your question seemed to take the man back, your confidence quickly returning, and your anger forgotten for another time. You only knew of one way to get to other worlds and that required a Keyblade, so maybe there was another way to travel that you didn’t know about.

“Look girly, I don’t have time to chit chat, I was takin’ a nice nap and you two had to go and disturb it, so are you gonna buy a room or not?” The man was clearly at the end of his rope, the evident hangover he was experiencing surely not helping him to keep his temper in check.

You looked over your shoulder at Terra, who simply shrugged his shoulders and lifted an eyebrow in question. If this was the only inn in the village, which wouldn’t be surprising considering its size, you had no other choice.

“Fine, we’ll take 2 rooms, but not at that price.” Your words were firm as you stood up straighter, there was no way you were going to pay over 10,000 Munny to stay in a place like this.

“I only got 1 room left.” He grumbled, leaning forward in his chair to stare you down, but you weren’t budging. You fought through the blush that desperately wanted to cover your whole face, the thought that you and Terra might have to share a room didn’t even cross your mind before now, but now it was cemented in there, filling your head with dirty thoughts and images.

“5000”

“No way girly, no lower than 10,000”

You leaned forward slightly over the desk, “5000”

“I can do 8000”

Your grin was returning to your face, but you were unable to see the same one now on Terra’s face too, except his was more filled with pride and wonder. “Five…thousand”

“Don’t test me girly!”

“…5000”

“UGH YOU KNOW WHAT! 6000 AND THAT’S IT!” He was fuming now, his anger and patience finally snapping.

Your grin spread wider. “Deal.”

You turned around to face Terra, who was still stood there, a huge smile on his face as he stared at you, so much pride and awe coming off of him that your grin morphed into a shy smile and deep blush before composing yourself again.

Terra shook himself out of his daze and walked towards the desk to pay the man and get our key, clearly less worried about the prospect of sharing a room than you were. Just as you started to walk up the stairs you heard the inn keeper call out to you two with an annoyed voice.

“The last door on your left. Be out by noon tomorrow.”

With that, you continued up the stairs, leading the way down the narrow hallway with Terra hot on your heels, passing by 4 or 5 other doors before stopping at the very end of the corridor. You turned to look at Terra who was still staring at you in a daze, a lazy smile curling his lips up and revealing the two small dimples in his cheeks.

Your stare seemed to knock him out of it, and Terra had the courtesy to look bashful at being caught staring, before he put the small key in the look and turned the door, ushering you into the room first with an identical bow to the one he had used outside the inn.

This time you didn’t hide your small laugh at Terra’s theatrics, taking an unnecessary amount of joy out of his chivalrous acts. Walking slowly into the room, you surveyed where you would be staying for the next 24 hours with a tight lip and arched brow.

The room wasn’t anything special, but at least it appeared cleaner than the reception room downstairs. The small fireplace imbedded in the wall was boarded up, and even from the doorway you could feel a small draft coming through the cracks, which you were sure was going to get colder and colder as the day went on.

There was another door off the main room, which you assumed was the bathroom, whilst everything else appeared to be strewn around this one living space. A small table with two mismatched chairs sat in one corner, with a threadbare tablecloth thrown over it which you were sure was white at some point but had turned to a pale grey colour over the years.

The floor was bare apart from a rug thrown in front of the small sofa that sat before the useless fireplace, the creaky wood showing all the wear and tear it had experienced as multiple people came and went as time went on.

You finally cast your eyes towards the one thing you had been avoiding, the single bed tucked into the far corner of the room, a plan red blanket thrown over it and two plain white pillowcases at the headboard, which mercifully, looked rather clean.

Darting your eyes back to the sofa, you knew that you would be sleeping there tonight, as it was far to small for Terra to sleep in, with his tall and wide frame. Taking another look back at the bed, you knew that two people could easily fit in the bed together, but you didn’t even want to consider the possibility of sleeping in a bed next to Terra, the mere inclination almost making you burst a blood vessel in your face.

You were so trapped in your own thoughts, you didn’t hear Terra close the door behind you and turn the lock, placing the key securely in his pocket before surveying the room, much the same as you were. Although his thoughts weren’t of the same point of view, he too was thinking about the single bed in the corner of the room.

He wondered how best to approach the subject, knowing that you were rather shy and closed off when you two were alone together. But he also knew that beating around the bush wouldn’t work, as you would probably misunderstand him or come to your own conclusions before he could finish. So he decided to take a leap.

“Which side of the bed would you rather sleep on?”

Your whole body went rigid before you started coughing into your fist, trying and failing to hide the bright red blush that was covering your whole upper body, taking a stumbling step forward and turning so you could face Terra.

Although his voice was sure, his face told another story, the blush he was sporting not nearly as red as yours, but it was so much prettier. The deep red staining the bridge of his nose and sharp cheekbones, making the small freckles pop and stand out against his usually tanned skin.

You caught yourself staring and coughed once more into your fist, turning your face away and trying to compose yourself. “I-I was just g-going to sleep on the c-couch…” Your words were stuttered and messy, but it was better than the startled squeaks you’ve been trying to keep down.

Terra’s blush vanished almost instantly, “you don’t have to do that, there’s plenty of room on the bed. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable on your first night on a new world.”

Your blush was settling slightly at his kind gesture, and you were beginning to feel stupid for assuming that this had anything to do with you. He was simply tasked with keeping you safe, and if you were tired or cranky the next day, you wouldn’t be able to properly protect yourself.

With that thought your racing heart started to slow down and you weakly replied “t-the left side… If you don’t mind?”

Terra’s smile felt like it lit up the whole room, “of course! I prefer the right side anyway.” He then walked into the room and sat down on the right side of the bed, facing you with a charming smile. “So, I guess we should work out what we’re going to do now.”

You hummed in affirmation, walking closer to the bed before stopping a few paces in front of where Terra sat, one of your hands propping up your chin, whilst the other was wrapped around your waist. “That’s probably a good idea. We need to figure out how we’re supposed to find or attract this darkness that Master Yen Sid told us about.”

You tried to say something else, but a yawn cut of your sentence, your hand rising to cover your mouth without having to think about it, remembering all the times Yen Sid would scold you for yawning without your hand up.

“Maybe you should rest for a bit, travelling between worlds is tiring, and we’ve been walking around for a long time.” Terra stood up, taking your hands that were now by your side and guiding you to sit on the bed where he was previously sitting, coming to kneel in front of you so you were eye level with each other.

The intimate position wasn’t lost on you, nor was the kind gestures and gentle care that Terra took with you, which was slowing but surely turning you to putty in his hands. You were about to speak in protest when another yawn cut you off, your blush now fully evident because of how close Terra was. He released a small chuckle at your expense, making the blush worse.

“If it makes you feel any better, the idea I have to find out more about the darkness requires it to be a bit later than this, so don’t feel bad about getting some sleep while you can.” Terra’s words did sooth you slightly, making you raise your head and look at him from beneath your lashes, making him gulp to himself.

“Only if you’re sure, and I wont rest for very long, just enough to get my strength back, then we can do your idea.” The longer you spoke, the more your words began to slur, the feeling of the bed beneath you making you realise just how tired you really were.

Terra laughed quietly as he watched your eyes flutter and droop, swaying slightly in place as your body tried to fight the growing exhaustion. With the promise of sleep so close, you shuffled back a bit on the bed, before bringing up your feet and curling yourself around the surprisingly soft pillow.

Just as sleep was about to take you, you felt yourself being jostled and then lifted from the bed, your brain taking a while to realise that it was Terra who had picked you up, one of his arms tucked under your knees and the other around your back, with your head resting gently on his broad shoulders.

Your eyes were so heavy so you didn’t open them, instead you listened as Terra somehow moved the sheets around before moving you to the other side of the bed and placing you gently on the mattress, the sheets being pulled up around your shoulders.

“You said you liked the left side, remember?” Terra whispered, trying not to break you out of your sleepy state. You hummed in acknowledgment, curling yourself around the left side pillow and mumbling into it.

“Thanks Terra, you’re so kind…”

You couldn’t see the racing blush and happy smile that spread across Terra’s face, but you could hear as his breathing stopped and then let out a shaky breath a few seconds later. You also heard as he started to move away from the bed, probably towards the sofa or the table and chairs on the other side of the room. Before he could get to far, he heard your small voice call to him.

“Please don’t leave me…”

He turned quickly, to see your eyes were barely open, your tired gaze fixed on him. His heart lurched at the sight of you, curled up and looking so small under the blankets. He knew he couldn’t leave you after you asked him like that, so he turned back to the bed and walked over to the right side, crawling under the covers and laying down with his back propped against the headboard.

From here, he could see the small smile that graced your face when he finally settled, as well as the small baby curls that fluttered around your face from your hair coming loose of its ponytail some time during the day.

Your quiet “thank you” was almost lost on him if Terra hasn’t been so close to you. His equally as quiet “no problem” was lost on you, your mind already slipping back into dreamland.

Terra watched you for a moment before he jolted and remembered something he was going to ask you, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to wait until you woke up. So he shuffled down the bed until he was lying down facing you, a tiny distance between you two, before he whispered your name quietly.

You hummed in response, your mind not sure if you were dreaming or not, but still wanting to hear what Terra was going to say. Terra took a deep breath before speaking, unconsciously taking in the smell of your hair which spread out across the majority of your side of the bed, despite still being mostly contained in a hairband.

“How did you haggle the inn keeper so well like that? I thought you said you hadn’t been to other worlds?”

You voice was quiet and muffled and slurred together slightly, but Terra could still understand it, “when I looked over the desk, I saw a ledger with names and prices. He was trying to charge us double what he was charging everyone else.”

Your words were broken by a yawn before continuing again, “so I just told him we wouldn’t pay more than 5000 knowing he wouldn’t meet it and just make us pay what everyone else was and try and make us think he was being generous.”

Terra couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled in his chest, shaking the mattress underneath them and making you smile even in your half-awake state. You knew you would never grow tired of hearing Terra laugh.

“Clever girl” Terra whispered, knowing he should probably let you sleep now and get some rest before they went out looking for the new darkness. So, he shuffled around a bit, looking for a comfortable position to get some rest as well until nightfall came around.

As his eyes began to flutter closed, Terra heard your breathing even out and knew you were finally asleep, which gave him the confidence to slide closer to you and wrap an arm around your sleeping form, feeling infinitely better knowing you were safe in his arms.

But as Terra fell into a deep sleep, he thought that now he knew what it felt like to have you fall asleep in his arms, he wasn’t sure he could ever sleep without it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there was only one bed....  
> As always, kudo's and comments help me upload faster xx


	11. Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is formed and set into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to thank one of my readers Elena for her amazing comments on every chapter that inspired me to sit down and actually write something hahaha.  
> I'm so happy you like the story so far and I hope that you'll continue to like it xx

The dream was so familiar, the sensation of falling and the rushing of wind in your ears almost identical to the dream you had the other night. The voices were the same too, your name being called by multiple people until they all blended into one. You still couldn’t open your eyes, the light too blinding and the rush of the wind making you tear up.

Time seemed to stretch on forever, the voice getting louder and louder as well as the sound of crashing waves and seagull calls. But you weren’t afraid, some part of you knew that you were safe and that when you eventually stopped falling, you wouldn’t meet an untimely end.

Eventually the voices started saying other things, words that you didn’t understand, but you could only hear a few bits and pieces.

“…She’s back...”

“…Quickly...”

“…Run…”

“…Waited so long…”

“…Come home…”

Just as the sound of crashing water became too loud, and you were sure you were going to plunge into the salty ocean, you woke up. Your eyes flew open, unseeing for a few moments as your brain tried to catch up with your now awake body.

You blinked a few times, trying to focus your eyes on what you were looking at, which at the moment just looked like a black blob. The longer you focused on the dark mass, the more you saw it moving in the shadowy room.

Reaching out with your magic, you located the various candles scattered around the room and concentrated on trying to light them. A few seconds later they all burst to life, the bright light quickly receding into a gentle glow that bathed the room a calming yellow colour.

Focusing back on what you were facing, you realised you were staring at Terra’s chest, the main give away being the bright red cross that stood out against his impossibly tight shirt. After that realisation, your brain went into overdrive and suddenly took stock of where you were.

You were half laying on Terra’s chest, your head resting just over his heart and your hand resting just in front of you. Your legs were a tangled mess, one of your slung over Terra’s hips and hooked around his thigh, the other caught between his legs in a death grip.

You felt more than saw one of Terra’s hands on the back of your head, gently caught in your hair and keeping your head tucked into his chest. His other hand was curled tightly around your waist, his large palm spread out to cover a large portion of your lower back.

The longer you laid there the more you could feel a heat rising in your body and hear your heart beating in your ears. You could barely breath, let alone move to try and untangle yourself from Terra, despite a small part of you not wanting to ever leave the bed.

You tried to manoeuvre around a little to try and peak up at Terra, but when you tried to move, you could feel Terra’s grip tightening and drawing you in closer to him. You continued to squirm and shuffle, trying not to wake him up, until you ended up with you and Terra facing each other, with him pressing your head into his chest, and his whole body coiled around you like a snake.

You huffed a bit, your hair drifting and flying around your face from where it had come out of the tie some time during your nap, no doubt in part from Terra’s gentle hand on the back of your head. You were becoming more frustrated than flustered at this point, despite having Terra so close, you couldn’t help but worry about his reaction when he woke up.

So mustering what little mental strength you had left to try and get out of this situation, you carefully flipped yourself over in Terra’s arms so your back was facing him, planning to just shuffle towards the end of the bed until his arms would let go.

Just as you began to move away and started feeling Terra’s grip loosen, he suddenly pulled you back into him, one arm curled snuggly under your chest and the other gripping one of your hips. The small squeak you made was quickly caught in your throat as you felt Terra nuzzle his head into your neck, his lips barely grazing the sensitive skin.

“Stay…” You could barely hear his voice as it rumbled through you, the gentle tickle of his breath equally as distracting as his gruff and sleepy morning voice. As he spoke his arms gave you a tight squeeze and pulled you so flush against his chest that you swore you could feel his heartbeat against your back.

You froze, Terra’s actions alone had your mind spinning and your heart racing but combine it with his gentle plead for you to stay with him, you were sure that you were going to explode. As you tried to gather your words, you could feel Terra continue to burrow his head between your head and shoulder, the gentle tickle of his hair making a shiver run down your spine as your thought began to take a dangerous turn.

Before you could fully imagine what staying in this bed with Terra could devolve into, you desperately tried to stutter out an excuse that could save you from this embarrassment. You were certain that the blush staining your whole body would be permanent by this point.

“B-b-but what ab-b-bout your plan?” You were sure that Terra wouldn’t understand a word you were saying, the embarrassed stutter and gentle whisper you spoke in making your words incomprehensible.

You felt Terra hum into your neck, “yeah you’re right,” before he gave you another tight squeeze and slowly started to release you. It felt like forever but was only a few seconds as Terra uncurled himself from around you and moved to sit up on the edge of the bed.

You were still frozen in place, certain that if you tried to move, your limbs would be made of jelly and you would simply flop back down onto the bed again. You couldn’t believe what just happened, and part of you was convinced it was actually all just an elaborate dream.

But the way Terra stretched out his stiff limbs, the broad expanse of his back on full display as the muscles tensed, and the way he ran a hand absentmindedly through his hair, you knew your brain couldn’t dream up something so beautiful.

Terra looked over his shoulder at you, a bright grin on his face as he winked, before standing up and stretching his arms above his head. Your blush was probably like a signal fire by his point, so you buried your face as close to the rumpled pillows and blankets as possible, whilst still keep an eye on Terra of course.

When he finished stretching with a sinful groan, he turned back to face you and walked to your side of the bed, kneeling down until you were almost face level. The only part of you still visible were your eyes, peeking out from between the covers.

“Did you sleep ok?” Terra asked, his voice soft and gentle like he was trying not to startle you. Little did he know that the mere sight of him so close to you this morning was enough to banish all sleep from your system instantly.

All you could muster was a small hum in affirmation, which seemed to be enough for him as he nodded and hit you with another one of his bright smiles which revealed his cute dimples. His eyes were practically shinning with joy and mirth as he looked at you, sending your heart careening further and further down the rabbit hole.

As you were mustering the courage to address the situation you had woken up to, Terra spoke, his voice no longer quiet, but equally as gentle and caring.

“Do you want a bit longer to wake up and get ready?” His question shocked your system into action, reminding you about why you were even out here on this new world in a strange inn, sharing the same bed with Terra.

You sat up quickly, a sudden burst of light headedness making you pause for a second before speaking, “no, no, I’m fine. We can leave now.”

Terra had shot his hand out to steady you when you swayed slightly on the bed but thought better of it and placed his hand on the sheets instead, only inches away from where yours was propping you up.

As you shimmied to the end of the bed, you missed Terra’s longing look at your back, and the subtle clenching of his fist around the rumpled bedsheets. He was desperate to touch you again, to have you in his arms, but he saw how shy and embarrassed you were waking up and didn’t want to make you any more uncomfortable.

He was torn, from the moment he saw you, and caught you in his arms, he couldn’t stop thinking about you, or trying to be around you. He knew he was being ridiculous, and that you definitely didn’t feel the same way, but all he wanted to do was be by your side and make you happy.

The only thing that kept him going with this mission was the knowledge that it would make you happy, to prove to Master Yen Sid that you were a capable mage. If that want a factor, he wouldn’t have thought twice about just taking you to any world you wanted, to see you smile at all the new sights.

Whilst his inner monologue was going, he stayed frozen crouched near the bed, unaware that you were up and trying to make yourself look more presentable. With your back turned to him, you begun trying to fix your hair and find the hair tie that was now lost in the tangled tresses.

After a few moments of trying to unsuccessfully recover the hair tie, you huffed, flinging your arms down to slap against your sides, fighting the temptation to stamp your foot. This was one of the downsides of having such long hair, but you knew despite how often this happened, you would never cut your hair.

You were too busy huffing to notice Terra come up behind you and start combing through your hair with his fingers, being gentle about the various knots and tangles and making sure not to pull too hard. You jumped slightly before looking over your shoulder at him with a questioning face and a raised eyebrow.

“It looked like you could use some help” Terra chuckled, continuing his quest to tame the birds’ nest that was your hair. You didn’t so much as breath, afraid that any movement would break the peaceful calm that had settled over you two.

As you stood there, desperately trying to supress and pleased shiver from travelling down your spine from the sensation of Terra’s hands playing with your hair, you didn’t notice that Terra had already retrieved the lost hair tie as was now simply running his hands through your hair and gently combing out any knots he found.

Little did you know that Terra was enjoying this just as much as you were, the closeness and feeling deep in his chest that he was supposed to be by your side, that you two were bound together. But he also knew that it was too fast, so he put his tempestuous feelings to the side and begun plaiting your hair in a loose braid.

When he finished you secured the tie at the ends and smoothed a hand down it to settle any fly away hairs, a proud smile spreading across his face as he waited for your approval.

You took a moment to compose yourself, mentally squaring your shoulders and turning around to face Terra slowly, yours eye focused on his chest to avoid him seeing your blushing face. You brought the braid over your shoulder to examine it, silently impressed with his work.

“T-thank you, you didn’t have to do that…” Despite your best efforts, a small stutter still crept its way into your words, making your eyes drop from Terra’s chest to your feet. The rush of embarrassment you felt was so strong you were sure that after everything that had happened this morning you would be unable to look Terra in the eyes again.

“It’s no problem, Aqua used to make me braid her hair when we were younger because it was always getting in her way. Eventually she just cut it, so sorry if I’m a bit rusty.” Terra’s chuckle was almost enough to make you look up, but you fought the instinct, instead taking a step back and walking back into the main entry way of the small inn room.

Walking over to one of the windows, you looked out to see that the sky was a beautiful shade of dark blue, almost as beautiful as Terra’s eyes, your brain supplied unprompted. You shoved the thought to the side and spoke again, not taking your eyes away from the street outside the window and the slowly appearing stars.

“So, this plan of yours… what is it?” You were proud of yourself for not stuttering, finally beginning to feel like you were getting a hold of yourself again. You cast a half-hearted glance of your shoulder, still refusing any kind of eye contact with Terra.

By doing so, you were missing the dejected look on Terra’s face. He couldn’t understand what he didn’t wrong, he thought you were starting to become more comfortable around him, but now it felt like you were back at the start.

Terra cleared his throat to try and dislodge the lump that had settled there, vowing to try and talk to you about what he could do to make you feel safer and more comfortable around him after you two tried his idea.

“Well, because we don’t know a lot about this new darkness, I thought we should try and find somewhere were darkness is more likely to show up…” Terra’s words trailed off, thinking more about where darkness would fester, but with his limited knowledge on the subject due to Master Eraqus’ strict teachings, he was coming up empty.

You too were thinking about it, mentally looking back to all the books you had read in Yen Sid’s library before he had confiscated most of them. You remembered reading a passage about how darkness could manifest but you didn’t know how you could force it.

“I read in a book that darkness is born of negative emotions and deeds, like greed, anger, jealousy, stuff like that. It also said that it can be created by people who have lost their way, fallen into bad habits and created an environment within themselves for darkness to plant itself and grow like a disease.”

Speaking words like that aloud, even if you were quoting a book, felt very strange to you, likening darkness to a disease. Your mind tried to wander back to the conversation you had with Yen Sid before you quickly shut it down, dragging your wandering conscious back to the present.

“So we just have to find somewhere filled with people who have lost themselves.” Terra’s words seemed so simple, but you were stumped about what kind of place that could be. You looked outside again, seeing the night sky now painted with dazzling stars.

They looked so different from the stars around the Mysterious Tower, less bright but no less beautiful, it must be because all there was at the Tower was empty space. Here there were streetlamps and candles lining every windowsill to help light up the streets, making the stars seem dimmer in comparison.

Your mind began to wander backwards, and you finally turned from the window to face Terra, who had his chin caught between his finger and thumb in thought. He was staring at the ground so hard that it was a wonder he hadn’t burned a hole through the wood.

“Terra, why did we have to do this idea at night?” Your words made Terra jump slightly, bringing him out of his deep thoughts. He looked up at you and lowered his arms to his side, raising his shoulders in a small shrug.

“I just assumed that darkness would be more likely to show up at night…” His explanation made sense to you, so you gave a small nod before turning back to the window and looking out at the street.

A few moments later you heard loud shouting and laughter drawing closer and closer to the street you were looking down on. Terra must have heard it too because you felt him come to stand just behind you, looking over your shorter stature at the street outside.

Eventually a group of men came stumbling down the alley, leaning on each other and tripping over their own feet, laughing the whole time like they had just heard the funniest thing. You watched as they came to stop outside a building not too far down the street from where the inn was, and clumsily toppled in through the unlatched door.

You had been leaning closer and closer to the window until your face was practically pressed to the glass in hopes of seeing more, but it appeared they weren’t going to come out anytime soon. You looked over the building and tried to make out what was on the swinging wooden sign outside, but it was too far away.

“It’s a tavern.” Terra’s voice startled you, the sensation of his breath on your ear and neck making you realise just how close he had gotten to you as you both tried to look out the tiny window. “You can tell by the tankard on the sign.”

Terra pointed to the sign over your shoulder, leaning down so you were at the same eye level, and his head was practically resting on your shoulder. You gulped a little at the close proximity but steeled yourself against the blush that was fighting to spread across your whole body.

“Well, that seems like a good a place as any to start, don’t you think?” You turned around as Terra straightened up, so now you were practically pressed against his chest, with the cold window behind you.

Terra smiled down at you and gave a nod and hum in affirmation before taking another long second to step back and let you move. You tried to gracefully walk over to the front door, adjusting your staff in your belt and re-adjusting your clothes that had fallen out of place from sleeping in them.

“Right, lets get to it then.” Your words were mean to kick yourself into action, but they appeared to so the same for Terra who walked over to you and opened the front door, bowing slightly just like he did when you entered the inn.

“After you” Terra said with a cheeky grin and wink that would make any woman or man blush, but lucky for you, you seemed to be getting a hold of yourself and simply smiled back and walked through the open door into the hallway.

You waited as Terra closed and locked the door with the key he kept in his pocket before he came to stand beside you. As you looked up at him, you realised that the cheerful smile that was just on his face had vanished, replaced with an apprehensive furrow of the brows.

You reached out as Terra was about to walk off, your hand wrapped gently around his forearm, making him stop and turn to look over his shoulder at you.

“What’s on your mind?” Your simple question made Terra tense a bit before slowly relaxing again with a deep exhale, seeming to release a tension held in his muscles as he did so. He turned to fully face you, taking your hand that was still on his arm and holding it delicately between both of his.

“I’m just remembering what I’ve read and heard about taverns… what happens in them, especially in worlds like this. I know you can look after yourself, I’m just…” Terra’s words trailed off as you tried to focus on what he just said. Your mind was racing a mile a minute as you tried to get past how small your hand looked compared to his, and how rough his palms felt against your softer hands.

After a few moments and a firm mental shake you finally spoke, “you’re just… what?” You desperately needed Terra to finish his sentence, even thought you had a good idea about what he was going to say, you just needed it to be spoken.

He sighed deeply before looking up from your joined hands and looking you in the eye, “I’m just worried. I don’t want anything to happen to you, especially not on your first time in a new world.” Terra opened his mouth as if he had more to say, but quickly snapped it closed and looked away, staring back down at your hand, which he was now running his thumb over in slow circles.

“Terra.” You waited for him to look at you, despite him being so much taller than you, he had manged to curl himself up to seem much smaller, avoiding your gaze until he finally looked at you again. “You don’t have to worry. I’ve been training with magic my whole life, and physical combat almost as long.”

You let out a small chuckle before continuing, “besides, this darkness doesn’t appear to be aggressive yet, you heard what Yen Sid said. You and I have nothing to fear.” You ended your little speech with a quick nod and gentle shake of your joined hands, giving Terra what you hoped was a reassuring smile.

Terra gave you a blinding smile and a tight squeeze to your hand before releasing it and dropping his own back to his sides. “You’re right, we can handle anything this world throws at us.” His confidant words put an end to the conversation as you two began to walk down the corridor making your way to the small stairway before going back out through the empty reception to the alley.

Little did Terra know that you were absolutely terrified, your reassuring words meant to not only sooth his anxiety but yours as well. The closer the possibility of encountering this new darkness became, the more you could feel your heart pounding and hands shaking.

You knew that you could defend yourself, that you were a talented mage and if the worst happened, Terra would always have your back, but it didn’t make the pit in your throat and stomach any lighter. With every step you both took closer to the tavern, you just hoped that when the time comes, you wouldn’t let Yen Sid’s words get to you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sort of just filler but don't worry, the next one will be more action packed and more plot orientated.  
> If anyone wants to follow my Tumblr and chat about this story or anything else my account is pinecone-k xx


	12. Set Backs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Terra go looking for the darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long, i had the majority of it written for the past two weeks, but couldnt muster the motivation to finish it, that's why it sorta ends a bit funny...  
> If any of you want to yell at me on Tumblr to push me to update faster, that would actually help xx

You didn’t realise until you were stood just outside the tavern door, just how loud it was in there, hinting to the amount of people who were getting drunk and enjoying their night. You’d never been in a place like this before, Yen Sid had never even let you have alcohol before, so it was safe to say that you were nervous.

The roaring laughter and shouting almost drowned out Terra’s gentle whisper into your ear from where he stood just behind you. “Just stay close to me ok? If anything happens, we’ll leave.”

You turned to look over your shoulder slightly and gave an affirmative hum and a small head nod, before turning back to the door. You didn’t want your first time away from the Mysterious Tower to be filled with you running away from new experiences, so you took a deep, steadying breath and squared your shoulders in preparation. Just as you were reaching out to open the door, Terra’s hand appeared from behind you and pulled it open, ushering you in with a smile and a gentle tilt of the head.

Giving a small smile to him in thanks, you walked into the loud tavern with Terra so close on your heels you could almost feel his breath against your head and his body heat on your back. You quickly ignored the sensation and started taking stock of the room in front of you.

The tavern was a simple place, not unlike the reception room for the inn you and Terra were staying at, except this place was in slightly better condition, and was absolutely packed with people. There must have been upwards of 45 people all crammed into this small space, all chattering and yelling at once.

From what you could see through the wave of people, there was a long counter top that ran along the entire back wall of the room, which you could only assume was the bar top, as a man scurried to get people their drinks without spilling anything in front of the already drunk patrons.

Spread along the other two walls were booths built into the walls, with seats that looked like they’d seen better days, as they were almost thread bare and covered in stains. The rest of the floor was covered in various other tables and chairs, all mismatched and of varying heights and styles.

As you were taking in the room, you failed to notice Terra’s hand come up to curl around your bicep, enveloping it completely as he walked you over to one of the last empty tables in the very far corner of the room.

Taking a seat, you continued to watch the room as Terra sat down opposite you, completely enveloped by the atmosphere of the tavern and the rowdy behaviour of its occupants. You only looked up at Terra when he reached across the table to clutch your hand in his.

“Are you ok? Is this too much? We can go if you’d like?” His questions were so rapid fire and spoken so gently that you took a moment to process them over the noise. When you did, you gave a small shake of your head before speaking.

“No, I’m ok, it’s just a lot to take in that’s all…” Your sentence trailed off as a woman approached the table, stopping just beside Terra and leaning over slightly to speak to you both.

“What can I get you two?” She said, a bright smile on her face, which the longer you looked at it, seemed to be hiding tired eyes and an angry curl of the lip. You could only assume that she was a server from the small, dirty apron wrapped around her waist and cleaning rag in her hand.

You and Terra shared a look before he spoke, silently agreeing that you probably shouldn’t drink and wind up like one of the various inebriated patrons around you. You two were on a mission after all and getting drunk probably wasn’t a good way to prove yourself to Yen Sid.

“We’ll just have some water please.” When Terra gave her a smile to finish his request, you watched as the fake, tight lipped smile morphed into something more… predatory. The woman took a half step closer to Terra, leaning over him more and placing her hands on the table, pushing them together so her chest pushed up slightly.

“Sure I can’t tempt you with anything else handsome? I’m sure one ale won’t hurt?” Terra seemed to be completely oblivious to the woman’s sudden close proximity, instead just giving another one of his blinding smiles and responding.

“No, thank you. We’re ok.” You could practically see the cogs turning in the woman’s head as her smile faltered, before she seemed to perk up again and slowly place her hand on Terra’s shoulder.

“Ok, maybe not ale then, we serve lots of different drinks. Why don’t you come over to the bar and I can show you what I’ve got? Get to know each other…”

You were seeing red.

Your whole body was hot, and your hands were clenched in tight fists against the table, fighting the urge to rip the woman’s hand off of Terra. You watched as her hand slowly begun to squeeze and kneed the small area she held, completely oblivious to your murderous gaze.

“Just get the water,” you suddenly said, your tone so cold you could practically see the icicles in the air as the woman finally turned to acknowledge you, looking down at you as if you were just dirt on her shoe.

You looked between her hand still on Terra and her eyes once more.

“Now.”

The woman retracted her hand with a scoff and an eye roll, practically storming away from the table until you lost her in the crowd. You tried to remove the scowl on your face before looking back up at Terra, but you were only partially successful, no doubt an annoyed grimace still present.

When you looked up to Terra, he had a bashful smile on his face and was absentmindedly scratching the back of one of his hands on the tabletop. You quirked an eyebrow in question, certain that if you tried speaking again you would end up saying something you’d regret.

Terra chuckled a bit before responding, a small blush dusting the tops of his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose.

“Thanks for that… I umm… sometimes I have trouble telling people no.” A small shrug of his shoulders and deprecating smile accompanied his words that went straight to your heart.

Ignoring everything else, all previous emotions and actions, you reached forward to Terra’s hands still on the table, holding them tightly in your own. When he finally looked up to meet your eyes, you spoke.

“Terra, no one should make you feel uncomfortable, and if I can stop that, then I will. You don’t have to thank me. You have a kind heart, and people see that and seek to take advantage of it.” You squeezed his hands again, steamrolling through your speech to avoid the deep blush that was trying to spread up your chest and to your cheeks.

“If you are ever having trouble like that, you can come to me. Always. Ok?” You tilted your head a little and waited for Terra’s response, but he seemed to be speechless, staring at you with a slackened jaw and deep blush across his whole face.

It took a few seconds for your brain to catch up with your actions and for you to notice how tightly you were holding Terra’s hands, or how far across the small table you had leaned. You were almost nose to nose with him, so close that you could pick out the flecks of green in his dark blue eyes.

A blush of your own quickly creeped up your neck, tinting your whole face a dark red and making you duck your head into your chest and pull back, retracting your hands onto your lap under the table.

With your back now firmly pressed into your own seat, you began playing with your hair, the gentle motions helping to cool the hot flush on your skin. You were so embarrassed, having practically pulled Terra across the table to hold his hands and stare into his beautiful eyes. Only after a few moments of awkward silence filled with your traitorous thoughts, did Terra finally speak up.

“Did- Do you really…” Terra stuttered over his words a bit, before taking a breath, “Thank you.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but the sudden slam of two glasses of water interrupted you, making you jump slightly in your seat and whip your head around to the clearly still pissed off server. She didn’t stay like she did before, simply turning and huffing back off to the still busy bar, clearly getting the message that what she was offering wasn’t going to be taken up.

Reaching out, you took a greedy gulp of your water, drinking over half in a few breaths, before putting it gently back down on the table. The cool water was doing wonders for calming down your flushed body and heated face.

Looking over at Terra, he seemed to have the same idea, although he was still taking small sips from his glass, as opposed to draining it like you did. You were prepared to let the conversation end there, but a pestering thought had you opening your mouth again.

“I would hope that, if I ever made you feel… uncomfortable… or like you didn’t have a choice… you would tell me… right?” Your words were slow as you tried to phrase your question. You didn’t want to insult Terra, but you also needed to know that he could trust you, and that you wouldn’t ever take advantage of his kind nature.

You flinched only slightly at the force of which Terra put his glass down on the table. Even over the loud laughter and yelling of the other tavern customers, it was almost deafening. The feeling of Terra’s eyes on you, and the long drawn out silence, finally made you look up from your hands in your lap.

Terra was leaning across the table, much the same way you were only a few moments prior, but instead of a deep blush on his face, it was a look of determination. His hands were placed on the edges of the tabletop, making him tower over your still sitting form, and making you realise once again just how much bigger than you he was.

“You… you will never make me uncomfortable. We’ve only known each other for a few days but… but it already feels like we’ve known each other for a lifetime. L-like our…” A fierce blush was rising up Terra’s face, highlighting his freckles and sharp nose.

You watched as Terra tried to get out the next words but stumbled over them every time. So you took the initiative.

“L-like our… hearts are c-connected…”

Your words were stuttered and unsure, but the words were like a cannonball, hitting you right in the chest and making you aware of what you already knew, but refused to admit. You saw Terra about to speak again before a loud crash interrupted him, making you both turn in your seat to look towards the noise.

The entire tavern was silent now, and you watched as people started to back away from a table in the middle of the room, creating a wide circle around it and revealing to you and Terra the scene.

Two men were stood between a broken glass on the floor, surrounded by ale that was slowly spreading and seeping into the dirty floorboards. They looked to be staring each other down, but you couldn’t tell much from where you were sitting.

You stood up but felt Terra’s hand wrap around your own before you could take a step towards the fight that was sure to break out any moment. He pulled you back slightly until you were huddled together, practically tucked into his chest as he leaned down and whispered into your ear.

“This was what I thought would happen…” You were so distracted by Terra’s close proximity that you almost didn’t register what he said. You looked up at him through your lashes to see his head bowed into your neck, so he could speak to you without drawing attention.

At least that’s what you assumed the reason was, but all you could think about was the way Terra’s body heat was radiating towards you making you pleasantly warm, or the way he smelled just like the woods on a bright summer day.

Little did you know that although Terra’s actions had started innocently enough, he too was now bombarded with the way your hair smelled, or the small freckles he could see around your collarbone underneath your shirt, which had slipped slightly to the side.

The desire to just to reach out and grab you by the waist, to pull you closer until he could actually feel you against him, to feel your heat beat against your chest, was unbearable. Luckily, the fight that you two were supposed to be watching, suddenly came to head when one man threw a punch at the other.

All of a sudden there were chairs and glasses flying through the air, punches were being thrown out and everyone was screaming and yelling. You couldn’t even blink before you felt Terra grab you and start pulling you quickly towards the tavern entrance, weaving around the various brawls that had broken out.

Only a few paces from the door you felt another, different hand wrap around your other arm and pull you back into someone. You yelped in surprise before a hand came up to cover your mouth and the other wrapped around your waist before you could blink.

“Where’d you think you’re goin’ little girl?” a slurred voice said into your ear, making you flinch back in disgust. The hand around your waist slowly started kneading your skin as the man dragged you further back into the tavern away from Terra who was absolutely fuming.

You had never seen a look like that on his face before, an almost snarl on his lips and a dark promise behind his eyes, and it both scared and stirred something deep inside you. You were so captivated by Terra that it took you a moment to react and remember what was going on around you.

When the man took another step backwards, you took the opportunity to stamp your heel into his foot and bite on his hand that was still wrapped around your face covering your mouth. When the man yelled and stumbled back, you reached for the small of your back, and pulled out your staff, still tucked into the waist band of your skirt.

You spun around and cast a quick blizzard spell onto the man’s feet, not even taking the time to see what he really looked like, before grabbing Terra’s hand and bolting from the Tavern. Slamming the door open, you raced outside into the cold air and away from the still progressing tavern brawl, running around the corner towards one of the alleyways and half collapsing against the dingy brick wall.

You closed your eyes, trying to slow down your rapid heartbeat and racing breaths, but the phantom sensation of the man’s hands still on you, of the feeling of his breath on your neck had you recoiling into yourself.

When a pair of hands suddenly enveloped your shoulders, you flinched back, hitting your head on the brick wall and snapping your eyes open in fright. You couldn’t focus on anything, your eyes flitting between everything, unable to take in what was around you.

It took a few moments for you to make out Terra stood in front of you, bent over so he could look you in the eyes, his hands no longer on your shoulders but held up in front of him in a way that made him look like he was approaching a wild animal.

Your ears were ringing slightly, the loud noise from the tavern in comparison to the almost deathly silent alley way giving you whiplash. You didn’t notice before, but now you could hear Terra’s voice through the constant ringing.

“It’s ok…”

“I’m here…”

“It’s over…”

You suddenly felt a lump form in your throat and tears gather in your eyes, until all you could see was Terra’s blurry outline and the water spilled over your lashes and cascaded down your cheeks. It was all too much, and you reached out instinctively to the still slightly blurry Terra and clutched his shirt in your fists.

You bowed your head slightly so he couldn’t see you cry, your forehead pressing into his chest between your hands. All the overwhelming emotions over the past 24 hours had come to a head, and here you were, sobbing onto Terra’s chest after getting groped by a random stranger during a tavern brawl on the first new world you’d been to.

Plus all the unspoken words and feeling between you and Terra also had your mind reeling and your body fluctuating between flushed and embarrassed too fast for you to comprehend.

So you cried.

After a few minutes of you crying, you slowly started to hear and feel everything happening around you again, the first thing being Terra’s arms wrapped protectively around you, almost crushing you into his chest, and the second being his voice whispering praise and reassurance in your ear.

You could only assume that he had been speaking since you grabbed him, but you couldn’t be sure, and it didn’t really matter. All that mattered was the steady rise and fall of his chest under your hands, and your slowly receding tears.

Your breathing slowly began to even out, the stuttering sobs coming to a stop as you got control of your body back. Terra’s shirt was still tightly clutched between your fists, and you had no plan to release him anytime soon, his steady presence providing more comfort than you had ever known.

The gentle brush of Terra’s hands up and down your back, and the soft tickle of his hair against your cheek, from where his head was buried into the crook of your neck to whispers kind words, were doing wonders to calm you down. After a few more minutes, you finally took a deep breath and tried talking.

“…Thank you…” The words were scratchy and raw, no doubt from the crying, but you hoped that Terra could hear the sincerity behind them. Terra responded with a deep hum in his chest that vibrated through you and made your insides tingle.

Just as you were about to speak again, a sudden slam made you both jump and clutch each other tighter, Terra’s arms coming completely around you and clutching you to his chest. His head had come away from your neck and was instead looking out of the alley, back towards the direction of the tavern, with a determined look in his eyes.

You couldn’t pull yourself away from Terra’s chest even if you wanted to, his tight hold keeping you safely tucked into him and shielding you from whatever was happening out there. You could however hear Terra, even as he whispered gently down to you, trying not to break the feeling that enveloped you two.

“This was what I was waiting for… Do you still want to go through with this?” His words were meant to not pressure you, and to give you an out if the previous incident had rattled you too much. But you knew that if you left now, you would be angry with yourself for giving up and letting something get in the way of the mission.

You pulled back from Terra, just enough to see his face looking down at you, his eyes shinning in the dim lighting that leaked into the alleyway. You gave a firm nod of your head and fully untangled yourself from Terra’s embrace, even though you desperately didn’t want to.

The sudden lack of Terra’s body heat made a shiver gone down your spine, but you put on a brave face and smiled up at him.

“Let’s get to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously guys, please yell at me... x


	13. Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The darkness closes in, and you and Terra must meet it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this written for over a week now but have been re-writing parts and just lacking the motivation to post it. Sorry for that, but I’ve got a lot going on ATM that I’ll explain at the end of the chapter for anyone interested. Thank you all for your continued support xx

You and Terra both peaked around the corner of the alley, his front pressed against your back to see over your head, with one of his hands wrapped around your bicep to keep you close. You were desperately trying not to dwell on the pleasant heat that his body radiated, and rather on the scene unfolding before you two.

The loud bang that had just startled you two had come from an incredibly drunk and beaten man stumbling out of the tavern and slamming the door behind him. If you looked closer, you could see that it was the same man who had thrown the first punch that started the brawl.

He was mumbling to himself, swaying in place and dusting himself down, swiping blood away from under his nose and rubbing at his split knuckles. You both watched closely as he walked further down the street away from you, his angry grumbles reduced to the occasional loud swear and muttered string of profanities.

You looked up to Terra through your eyelashes and waited for his signal, as you could only assume you were supposed to follow the man to wherever he was going. But as Terra’s grip on your bicep got tighter and tighter, no doubt leaving a bruise under your shirt, you wondered exactly what he was thinking that would cause such a harsh glare on his face.

Just as you were about to ask, Terra started pulling you from the alley and leading you down the same dark side street the man had just disappeared down. He tried keeping you close, but the position was hurting your arm and making it harder to walk as you were pulled along.

“Wait, Terra.” You whispered, trying not to break the silence of the deserted street, or alert the man who was just out of your field of vision. The sound practically echoes off the surrounding cobblestone buildings and made you wince slightly in response.

Terra stopped instantly, turning to face you and grabbing your other bicep to hold you in front of him, as his eyes scanned your person quickly. His thumbs started massaging small circles into your arms before he spoke, the action seeming to calm him more than it did you.

“Is everything ok? What’s wrong?” Terra asked, his eyebrows drawn together and curved down in a concerned frown. Your breath caught in your throat, so drawn into his eyes that practically sparkled in the streetlights that you took a moment to respond.

“Nothing’s wrong, I just couldn’t keep up with you holding my arm like that. My legs are quite a bit shorter than yours.” You smiled up at him, trying to break the heavy and tense atmosphere that had been over you since you left the tavern. You wanted to forget anything happened, but you knew you both would need to talk about it soon, probably when you got back to the tavern.

Terra looked away, his eyes travelling to the man you were following, leaning against an ivy covered wall with various wooden planks leaning against it. He was probably taking a moment to gather his balance as he swayed slightly in place, the few candles that littered the street making his shadow bounce and dance along the pavement.

You looked back to Terra to see his face still turned away and if you were not looking so closely, you would have almost missed the bright flush that covered his cheeks and the tip of his nose. You couldn’t even guess as to what was going on inside his head, but the dark flush had you concerned.

“Are  _you_  ok?” You asked, repeating the question Terra had just said to you. Your arms that were hanging by your side, came up to wrap around his wrists and gave a light squeeze, ignoring the fact that his thumbs were still rubbing circles into your biceps.

Instead of replying Terra kept his face turned away with his eyes cast down, and slowly withdrew his hands from your arms, but not before giving them another squeeze. Instead, his hands travelled down to your own, griping them both gently and letting his fingers intertwine with yours in a soft hold.

You were now stood in the middle of a dimly lit street, holding hands and avoiding eye contact, the ruby red blush that you could see on Terra’s tanned cheeks was not doubt spread across your whole face and a good portion of your chest, contrasting with your white shirt.

“I-is this better?” Terra stuttered, his eyes finally flickering down to meet yours for a moment, before looking back up at the man who seemed to be trying to right himself by pushing against the dirty alley wall.

It was a miracle that he hadn’t turned around and seen you two really, but you were both too caught up in your own thoughts to really think about the risks. Besides, the shadows from the surrounding building hid you both well enough and made you confidant that if the man looked in your direction, all he would see was darkness.

You had almost completely forgotten about the ache in your arm from Terra’s grip, and when you tried to respond, only a small squeak left your lips, so you settled for an affirmative hum and a subtle squeeze of your joined hands.

Before you could both speak more the man gave a loud groan and started moving again, stumbling further and further away from the main streets. You both exchanged a meaningful look and started following slightly behind, your left hand clutched in Terra’s right.

You watched from a distance as the man slowly made his way further away from the town and grew closer to the woods that you and Terra had originally landed in. The various streetlights were now far behind you, the moon and stars the only thing providing you both with enough light to see where you were going.

The man’s quiet mumbling and grunting had slowly grown, rising the further you got away from town, until he was yelling profanities and swearing. He was practically livid, kicking tree trunks and the occasional bush that was in his path.

Terra made sure to keep you both a safe distance from the man, especially as his actions became more erratic and angrier. His hand was warm and calming as his fingers sporadically clutched your own tighter, as if confirming silently that you were still there with him.

You watched as the man stopped in a clearing not too far ahead and started walking in circles, swinging his arms around and stamping his feet like he was a child. He was practically red in the face, his hair sticking up from where he had been clutching it in his fists.

His reaction was surely fuelled by the alcohol, but even that didn’t fully explain his reaction to a simple altercation, but if you were being honest with yourself, you didn’t care that much about the man and his problems. You were more worried about yourself and Terra and why you were walking into the woods at night on a new world, following a clearly intoxicated, enraged man.

You tugged a little at your joined hands to get Terra’s attention, making sure to keep them joined together, and ignoring the butterflies in your stomach from the pleasant feeling that you couldn’t imagine breaking. When he looked down to you, you motioned to a large tree not too far away from you both that you could hide behind, and began walking towards it, pulling Terra along behind you.

Terra followed close behind you, making sure to keep an eye on the pacing man in case you accidentally alerted him to your presence. When you were both tucked tightly behind the large trunk, your sides touching from the close proximity, you finally whispered a question that had been on your mind.

“So… why are we following this man? What does a drunkard have to do with this new darkness?” You trusted Terra without a doubt, but you would be more confidant if you knew what was going on inside his head.

Terra looked down at you, piercing you with his dark blue eyes. “Master Eraqus once told me that emotions like anger, obsession and fear beckons the darkness, drawing it closer to your heart until it is consumed by it. People usually go to taverns to drink their sorrows away, so I just assumed that one of the people there wouldn’t be able to drown their emotions in alcohol and would eventually attract this new darkness.”

He finished his small speech with a gentle shrug of his shoulders and a small coy smile, before turning back to man and narrowing his eyes again in concentration. The man appeared to be going in circles now, stumbling around the perimeter of the clearing and occasionally tripping over a small stone or twig.

You however found you couldn’t focus on the man any longer, his grumbling and loud footsteps fading to the back of your mind. You were in awe; Terra’s plan was brilliant, and even if it didn’t work, it was much better than anything you would have come up with.

Just as you were about to speak your praise, a shrill scream broke the calm silence coming from the clearing that had your hand clutching Terra’s tightly, and your other reaching for your staff. The sudden loud noise had your pulse racing inside your ears and your breathing catching in fright.

You whipped your head around Terra’s frame towards the man who was still in the clearing, except instead of pacing, he was cowering on the ground, scrambling back on his hands away from edge of the clearing.

Pulling your staff from where it was tucked into your skirt waistband at the small of your back, you watched as Terra released your hand and summoned his keyblade. You were so tense, prepared for anything, that you ignored the way your hand clenched into a fist at your side, freezing in the midnight chill without Terra’s hand in yours. With his free hand Terra outstretched his arm to stop you going any closer to the clearing and the clearly distressed man.

You both exchanged a look as you waited to see what would emerge from the darkened woods not lit by moonlight, part of you hoping it was the darkness you were sent to find, another part wanting it to be just a fox that scared the man.

As the thought crossed your mind, you jumped slightly as a dark blur seemed to skitter just outside of your field of vision, dancing along the edges of your sight as you turned to try and follow it. You took a step away from the tree trunk your back was still pressed against, spinning in a slow circle trying to locate where the blur had gone.

Another sharp movement out the corner of your eye had you reaching out to Terra, squeezing his forearm in your hand before speaking, no longer worried about whispering. The man’s screams seemed to have alerted everything in the forest to your presence, including this new threat.

“Terra, there’s something out there…” You trailed off, focusing on your magic and trying to pinpoint not only what the man was frightened by, but also the blur that was skirting around you both. You felt Terra grab your hand and hold it in his own, giving it a small squeeze in response before letting it go again, and slowly taking steps away from the tree to stand next to you.

You clutched your staff tightly in one hand, the pressure making your knuckles turn white, whilst the other was spread behind you for balance, in case you had to quickly start running. A sudden crunch of something treading on a branch had you and Terra both whipping around and backing away from the noise.

Your backs were now to the clearing, growing closer and closer as the sound of crunching leaves and rushing wind which seemed to corral you both backwards.

“Terra…?” Your voice trailed off in a question as you both continued to back up, the sounds of the drunk man’s whimpers getting louder. The blur was sticking close to the treeline and the ground, which meant you couldn’t get a good look at it, the dark clouds that were moving across the sky blocking out any light you might have gotten from the full moon.

After stumbling backwards for a few moments, tripping over the occasional branch and uneven dip in the ground, you and Terra ended up in the centre of the clearing. The still whimpering man scrambled to his feet and took off running, the fear sobering him up enough to run in a straight line back to town.

The faint sounds of leaves rustling and the occasionally whooshing noise was the only indication that there was still something else out there, the noise from both of the creatures now circling you both. Your constant turning to keep the noises location in front of you, had you and Terra ending up back to back in the middle of the field, the clouds finally blowing away and leaving the moons light to illuminate the clearing.

You both waited, tense and ready in the small patch of moonlight given by the break in the trees. Your pulse was racing and ringing in your ears, your muscles wound so tight that they were beginning to ache, but you had confidence in yourself and in Terra, that whatever came out of the underbrush, you could handle.

The seconds stretched on for what felt like hours, so long that you reached your hand, not currently clutching your staff, behind you to place your palm on Terra’s arm. The physical contact helped ground you and reminded you that he was here with you, and you would both be ok in the end. You felt Terra squeeze your hand with his own for a second before releasing it again, the unspoken communication being understood and reciprocated.

Suddenly the skittering and whooshing noise that had surrounded you both came to a halt, and a deathly silence fell over the forest. The wind had stopped blowing the leaves, and all the wildlife was still, not even your breathing could disturb the tense atmosphere around you.

Your heart was racing, and your palms were growing sweaty, the tension and suspense starting to get to you. You went to look over your shoulder slightly at Terra to see how he was doing… But that was a mistake.

The second you took your eyes away from the tree line, a dark blur zipped out and slashed your leg, before skittering away again into the shadows. The quick blow and sharp pain would have sent you stumbling if Terra wasn’t at your back providing support, giving you a second to gather yourself again.

Instead you just flinched and hissed, leaning back against Terra slightly and looking down at the long gash left on your calf that had cut through your gauzy skirt, and was slowly beading with blood. The brief brush of wind through the clearing had your skirt fluttering away from the gash, the pale light making the wound look far worse than it actually was.

But you didn’t have the time to focus on the pain, or the feeling of blood slowly dripping down your leg in a small river, steadily gathering in your shoes. Instead you shot a fire spell in the direction the creature had darted to, watching as the ball of fire travelled through the air and lit up the surrounding forest. The fireball continued to travel until it collided with the trunk of a large tree, exploding on impact and sending smaller spits of fire in various directions, providing a large burst of light.

The skittering had started again, the frantic scuffling always out of sight and had you getting more and more frustrated. You didn’t acknowledge the worried look that Terra sent over his shoulder, hearing your hiss of pain, knowing that even if he wanted to see where you were hurt and help you, now was not the time.

Another creature darted out of the woods and shot towards Terra, but he was prepared, and quickly struck out with his keyblade, sending the creatures hurtling towards the ground. You didn’t even get a moment to look at it, before it suddenly sunk into the ground, only a black pool of liquid left behind that started darting around across the ground.

You were about to voice your worry at the new development, but the second creature was already striking out at you again, which you managed to avoid this time, and sent a retaliating blast of ice towards it, that clipped the creatures side and had it too, sinking into the ground.

Now you and Terra were being circled by two pools of black goo, that still skittered and moved like the creatures did, but this time it was in plain view rather than hidden by the shadows of trees, the moonlight highlighting the bottomless darkness of the liquid.

As one of them rushed closer to you both, you heard the sound of Terra swinging his keyblade at puddle, but it had no impact, the goo sliding away from the small crater left from the impact of the blow.

“This isn’t going to work. Whatever they are, we can’t hit them…” Terra’s voice was sure and strong from over your shoulder, giving you a much needed boost in confidence, and assurance that it wasn’t just you who was confused by the creatures.

“Do you think this is the new darkness Yen Sid was talking about?” You questioned, keeping your eyes glued to one of the black pools, watching as it began to slow down, eventually coming to an almost complete stop a few feet in front of you.

“I don’t know what else these things could be. But from what Master Yen Sid told us, it shouldn’t be attacking people, let alone have a solid form.” Terra tried once again to hit one of the darkness pools with his keyblade as it drew closer, but it just skittered away again with no affect.

“I wouldn’t say that whatever these things are have a ‘solid form,’ and it’s not like we can attack them even if we want to.” Your words were coupled with another fire spell that hit the surprisingly still pool dead on, but when the smoke cleared, it was moving around again along the grassy ground.

Just as you spoke, the puddles seemed to stop and two forms shot out of the darkness and stood in front of you both, twitching and writhing in place, as if they couldn’t stand still. They were small things, barely coming up to your knees and were a dark purple colour that seemed to absorb all the light around them. Their heads were topped with two antennae like appendages coming of the sides of their heads, which seemed to twitch on their own, almost as if they were searching for something.

All their limbs seemed to come to a point, which explained the still stinging gouge that graced your calf, and two, solid, bright red, pointy eyes on either side of their head. You had never seen anything like them in any of the books in Yen Sid’s library, which left you with very little options about how best to handle the situation.

“What was it that Yen Sid told us? NOT to fight them, right?” You called to Terra, keeping your eyes on the twitching mass in case it tried to attack while you were distracted again. Your heart was beating in your throat, almost chocking your words before you could speak them, the fear slowly beginning to settle in your veins.

“It doesn’t seem like that’s an option anymore…” Terra’s words were pensive and tight with a veiled anger, his whole back tensed from what you could feel from your own back pressed against him. “Got any ideas?”

Your mind scrambled for a moment, thinking about anything you had read or practised whilst at the Mysterious Tower that could help you both. After a few seconds of wracking your brain, you had a few ideas, but you weren’t sure how well they were going to work.

One idea was to freeze the area around you two so that the creatures couldn’t retreat back into the ground again, giving you and Terra an opportunity to actually hurt them, but you didn’t know if the frozen ground would stop them. Another idea was to just run, follow Yen Sid’s advice and not engage with the darkness, but like Terra said, you didn’t think that was an option anymore.

Just as you were about to voice your thoughts, the creatures shot at you both, making you and Terra tense and raise your guard. You sent out a quick aero spell, knocking one of the creatures back into a tree at the edge of the clearing, and Terra used his keyblade to block the other creature and flung it back to the ground again.

The creatures recovered quickly, going back to circling you both with quick movements, becoming blurs for seconds at a time before rematerializing somewhere else. You and Terra continued to attack them if they got too close, with you sending out blasts of magic and Terra using his keyblade.

But after a while you were both getting tired. It felt like the tension in your shoulders and legs had been there for years, wearing you down and making your movements more sluggish. The constant use of magic wasn’t helping either, as you weren’t used to using so much at once before, even with all the training Yen Sid put you through.

After one of the creatures dodged the small thunder spell you sent it and ended up slashing your other leg, you finally called back to Terra.

“This isn’t working, we have to try something else.” Your words were strained and cut off; your teeth clenched to avoid the shout of pain from the sudden pain radiating from your thigh. You couldn’t risk looking down at the wound to see how bad it was, but from the wet heat that was travelling down your leg, you could only assume that it was bleeding quite heavily.

“Ok, so what should we do?” Terra called back to you, sounding equally as tired, his voice clipped and tense as he sent out his own small fire spell at the skittering darkness. You couldn’t risk looking over your shoulder to check if Terra was injured, but you hoped that he wasn’t, the idea alone had a new burst of angry energy coursing through you.

Before you could open your mouth to respond, both the creatures stopped in their advancements, their twitching and writhing coming to a sudden halt, making them so still that they looked like statues. Without their constant movement, the darkness of their bodies seemed to blend in with the tree line and had your eyes narrowing to keep focused on them.

A few seconds of perfect stillness passed before you broke it, your gentle whisper not seeming to disturb the creatures at all. “uhhh, Terra…” Your arm had come behind you again to grasp his arm, clutching it tightly as your pulse pounded inside your head.

Suddenly the creatures looked in the same direction, pointed faces turned towards a random corner of the clearing, seeming to be seeing something in the darkness that you couldn’t. The movement had you jumping in your skin, your breathing now racing as you prepared for anything.

Faster than you cold blink, the creatures shot off, darting through the clearing and completely ignoring you and Terra in favour of chasing after whatever had caught their attention. As fast as they appeared, they were both gone, not even the faint sounds of whooshing air or skittering limbs remained.

You and Terra didn’t move for a few moments, both still tense and ready for the two back pools to suddenly shoot out of the ground again and continue their attacks. But the attacks never came, instead the sounds of the forest slowly started to come into focus, the birds begun chirping and the wind started rustling the leaves again.

After maybe 2 minutes had passed, you finally started to relax your muscles, your tense arms and legs almost folding in on themselves as your posture slouched. You tried to not lean on Terra too much, but when you tried to apply pressure to your legs, the sudden shooting pain had you yelping quietly.

The pressure of Terra at your back was suddenly gone, instead he was stood in front of you, clutching your arms in his hands to stop you from falling, looking all over you for any damage. It didn’t take him long to see the trails of red that now covered both of your legs, one wound on the side of your calf, the other on the front of your thigh. Your skirt had been ripped in multiple places during the fight, the gauzy material moving in the gentle wind to expose the wounds further, the low light making the blood look thick and dark.

Only now did you notice how tired you were, and just how much your legs were bleeding. It was almost like a butcher’s knife had been taken to them, as the two large, clean incisions steadily pumped blood that stained your skirt and shoes a disturbing crimson.

You opened your mouth to assure Terra that you were ok, but your sudden light headedness had your mouth snapping closed and your body pitching forward towards him. Before the black at the edges of your vision completely swarmed you, you felt Terra’s arms coming to circle your body and saw his face looking down at you with his eyebrows drawn together in concern. His mouth was moving but you couldn’t hear anything he was saying, the constant ringing and pulsing of your brain making it impossible to understand.

You wanted to reassure Terra so badly, but before you could, your world went dark and you passed out, your body going limp in his arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’ve been going through a lot, both in my professional life and personal. Stuff going on at work that has left me drained, angry and sad which doesn’t put me in the mood to write or leave me the energy to do so. I'm also struggling with a few other more personal issues which are manifesting in fatigue, lack of motivation and bitterness.  
> I don't want these emotions to cloud this work, and to bleed into the chapter’s atmosphere and tone, so please forgive me that chapters might be very sporadic.  
> Reading all of your comments brings a real smile to my face, especially when I’ve had a bad day. I'll often go back and re-read the comments just to bring my love for this story back.  
> So even though it might not feel like it, your continued support is absolutely critical to getting new content out, and I can't thank you all enough for reading this work that means a lot to me.  
> I'll try to update a new chapter soon, but as I said previously, I won’t make a promise and stick to a schedule that I won’t be able to keep.  
> Thank you all, and please enjoy this story as it progresses xx

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try and update this as frequently as possible, but i cant guarantee an upload schedule. BUT comments and suggestions will DEFINITELY make me upload faster :)  
> Also please point out any spelling or grammar mistakes so i can fix them  
> Follow me on Tumblr at pinecone-k to talk more about this and to pester me to upload ;) xx


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